William L. Sharkey: Difference between revisions
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He served briefly in 1832 as a [[circuit court]] judge before being elected to the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi (today the [[Supreme Court of Mississippi]]), where he sat as a justice for 18 years until his resignation in 1851. |
He served briefly in 1832 as a [[circuit court]] judge before being elected to the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi (today the [[Supreme Court of Mississippi]]), where he sat as a justice for 18 years until his resignation in 1851. |
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Sharkey was appointed [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] by then-President [[Millard Fillmore]]; however, he declined the position. He did accept an appointment as statesman, and from 1851 to 1854, he served as |
Sharkey was appointed [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] by then-President [[Millard Fillmore]]; however, he declined the position. He did accept an appointment as statesman, and from 1851 to 1854, he served as consul in [[Havana]], [[Spanish Cuba|Cuba]].[https://classic.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_mississippi/col2-content/main-content-list/title_sharkey_william.default.html National Governors Association-William Lewis Sharkey] While he was serving as Consul, he swore in [[William R. King]] as Vice President of the United States on March 24, 1853. This, which was permitted by a Special Act of Congress passed on March 2, was, to date, the only occasion that vice presidential oath of office has been administered on foreign soil. King, who was suffering from [[tuberculosis]], would die on April 18 two days after he arrived his home in Alabama.[bioguide.com.congress.gov/search/bio/K000217 William de Vane Rufus King] |
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A member of the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]], Sharkey was vehemently opposed to the [[secession]] of Mississippi in 1861. Throughout the Civil War, he remained a staunch [[Southern Unionist]] and, according to one source, was “tolerated by his [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] neighbors only because of his towering reputation as a jurist.” |
A member of the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]], Sharkey was vehemently opposed to the [[secession]] of Mississippi in 1861. Throughout the Civil War, he remained a staunch [[Southern Unionist]] and, according to one source, was “tolerated by his [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] neighbors only because of his towering reputation as a jurist.” |
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Latest revision as of 10:28, 11 December 2023
American judge
William Lewis Sharkey (July 12, 1798 – March 30, 1873) was an American judge and politician from Mississippi. A staunch Unionist during the American Civil War, he opposed the 1861 declared secession of Mississippi from the United States. After the end of the war, President Andrew Johnson appointed Sharkey as provisional governor of Mississippi in 1865.
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
William Lewis Sharkey was born on July 12, 1798, in Sumner County, Tennessee. When he was six, he moved with his family in 1804 to Warren County, Mississippi. He was likely privately educated and read the law as an apprentice with an established firm. In 1822, he was admitted to the bar in Natchez, Mississippi.
Career[edit]
In 1825, Sharkey moved to Vicksburg. He was later elected for a single term in the Mississippi House of Representatives, where he served from 1828 to 1829.
He served briefly in 1832 as a circuit court judge before being elected to the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi (today the Supreme Court of Mississippi), where he sat as a justice for 18 years until his resignation in 1851.
Sharkey was appointed Secretary of War by then-President Millard Fillmore; however, he declined the position. He did accept an appointment as statesman, and from 1851 to 1854, he served as consul in Havana, Cuba.[1] While he was serving as Consul, he swore in William R. King as Vice President of the United States on March 24, 1853. This, which…