Kentucky. Governor (1855-1859 : Morehead) (original) (raw)

James Turner Morehead became the twelfth governor and the first native-born Kentuckian to hold that office after the death of Governor John Breathitt in February 1834. The succession of Lieutenant Governor Morehead to the governorship proved a sharp disappointment to the young Democratic party since Breathitt, a Democrat, and Morehead, a National Republican, had been elected on a split ticket.

Morehead was born in 1797, in Bullitt County, Kentucky. He attended Transylvania University from 1813 to 1815, studied law until he was admitted to the bar in 1818, and began his own practice in Bowling Green.

His first serious involvement in politics began in the 1820s when he supported the proposed bankruptcy laws but opposed the establishment of the New Court. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1828 to 1831. In 1831, while in the House, he was chair of the committee on internal improvements and served as a member of the National Republican Convention that nominated Henry Clay for the presidency. In 1832, he was elected as lieutenant governor and served for two years until Governor Breathitt's death.

As governor, Morehead continued to support internal improvements such as surveys, improved river navigation, and railroad construction. He also favored judicial reform and education, and denounced abolitionists. He led Kentucky in changing the name of the party opposed to Andrew Jackson from National Republican to Whig.

After completing Breathitt's term in 1836, he remained active in politics, returning immediately to the state House of Representatives. In 1839, he left the General Assembly, and was commissioned for the task of arranging the return of fugitive slaves from Ohio. He was elected to the U.S. Senate where he served from 1841 to 1847. His defense of the Bank Bill and opposition to the annexation of Texas were especially noteworthy. However, he, like most of the Whig party, voted to support the Mexican War. After retiring from the United States Senate, he practiced law in Covington, Kentucky until his death in 1854. He was buried in Frankfort.

From the description of Subunit history. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145415889

Charles Slaughter Morehead served as governor of Kentucky from 1855 to 1859. He was a member of the American Party at the time of his election, although he began his political career as a Whig.

Morehead was born in Nelson County, Kentucky in 1802. He attended Transylvania University and earned a law degree in 1822. His career in public office began in 1828 when he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives; subsequently, he served as Kentucky's attorney general from 1830 to 1835. In 1834, Morehead and Mason Brown published A DIGEST OF THE STATUTE LAWS OF KENTUCKY which became a recognized legal reference work. Returning to the House of Representatives in 1838, Morehead served as speaker several times through the 1845 session. In 1847, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Whig, for the first of two sucessive terms.

When the Whig Party declined and then disintegrated in the 1850s, Morehead joined the American, or "Know-Nothing," Party, and ran for governor as its candidate in 1855. The campaign was marked by violence, as the "Bloody Monday" riots broke out in Louisville because of anti-foreign and anti-Catholic sentiments stimulated by Know-Nothing oratory. Morehead defeated his Democratic opponent, Beverly L. Clarke, by 4400 votes. In his inaugural address, Morehead refrained from the fiery invective of the campaign, merely warning against "foreign invasion."

As governor, Morehead recognized the need for skilled and capable teachers to improve Kentucky's public school system. He supported a plan to use money from the school fund to establish a teachers' college as a part of Transylvania University. This proposal, which passed the legislature in 1856, made Transylvania the first state-supported institution of higher learning in Kentucky. Many Kentuckians took exception to this use of state educational tax revenue, and opposition increased to the point that the legislature revoked state financial backing in 1858.

The General Assembly did accept Morehead's proposal to establish a Kentucky State Agricultual Society, and to initiate a state fair. The governor also successfully advocated reforms at the state penitentiary, including increasing the number of cells, removing women prisoners to the upper floor, and regulating the functions of the warden.

Upon completion of his term in 1859, Morehead moved to Louisville and practiced law. In 1861, he participated in both the Washington Peace Conference and the Border States Convention. Morehead was publicly critical of the federal government, which led to his arrest and imprisonment in September 1861. Released after four months, but apprehensive of future actions, Morehead left the country and spent the remainder of the war years in Canada, Europe, and Mexico. Morehead died in 1868 on his plantation in Mississippi, and is buried in Frankfort, Kentucky.

From the description of Subunit history. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145415986

Archival Resources

Bibliographic and Digital Archival Resources