Samuel Lewis Southard | |
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7th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
In office September 16, 1823 – March 4, 1829 | |
Preceded by | Smith Thompson |
Succeeded by | John Branch |
10th Governor of New Jersey | |
In office October 26, 1832 – February 27, 1833 | |
Preceded by | Peter Dumont Vroom |
Succeeded by | Elias P. Seeley |
United States Senator from New Jersey | |
In office January 26, 1821 – March 4, 1823 | |
Preceded by | James J. Wilson |
Succeeded by | Joseph McIlvaine |
In office March 4, 1833 – June 26, 1842 | |
Preceded by | Mahlon Dickerson |
Succeeded by | William L. Dayton |
Personal details | |
Born | Basking Ridge, New Jersey | June 9, 1787
Died | June 26, 1842 Fredericksburg, Virginia | (aged 55)
Political party | Democratic-Republican, National Republican, Whig |
Spouse(s) | Rebecca Harrow Southard |
Alma mater | College of New Jersey |
Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Teacher |
Religion | Presbyterian |
Samuel Lewis Southard (June 9, 1787 – June 26, 1842) was a prominent U.S. statesman of the early 19th century, serving as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the tenth Governor of New Jersey.
History[]
The son of Henry Southard and brother of Isaac Southard, he was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, attended the Brick Academy classical school and graduated from Princeton University in 1804. He is descended from one of the earliest settlers of New Amsterdam, Anthony Janszoon van Salee.
Early career[]
After teaching school in New Jersey, he worked for several years as a tutor in Virginia and studied law there. Upon being admitted to the bar, he returned to New Jersey, where he was appointed law reporter by the New Jersey Legislature in 1814. Elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1815, Southard was appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court to succeed Mahlon Dickerson shortly thereafter, and in 1820 served as a presidential elector. He was elected to a seat in the United States Senate over James J. Wilson [1] and was appointed to the remainder of Wilson's term when he resigned, and served in office from January 26, 1821, to March 4, 1823 when Southard himself resigned. During this time, he was a member of the committee that produced the Missouri Compromise.
[]
President James Monroe selected Senator Southard to be Secretary of the Navy in September 1823, and he remained in office under President John Quincy Adams. During these years, he also served briefly as ad interim Secretary of the Treasury (1825) and Secretary of War (1828). Southard proved to be one of the most effective of the Navy's early Secretaries. He endeavored to enlarge the Navy and improve its administration, purchased land for the first Naval Hospitals, began construction of the first Navy dry docks, undertook surveys of U.S. coastal waters and promoted exploration in the Pacific Ocean. Responding to actions by influential officers, including David Porter, he reinforced the American tradition of civilian control over the military establishment. Also on Southard's watch, the Navy grew by some 50% in personnel and expenditures and expanded its reach into waters that had not previously seen an American man-of-war.
Political life[]
In 1829, after leaving his Navy post, Samuel Southard became New Jersey Attorney General following Theodore Frelinghuysen in that post. Elected Governor over Peter D. Vroom by a vote of 40 to 24 by the joint session of the Legislature in 1832, he re-entered the U.S. Senate in the following year. During the next decade, he was a leader of the Whig Party and a figure of national political importance. As President pro tempore of the Senate, he became Acting Vice President from April 4, 1841 to May 31, 1842 after the death of William Henry Harrison and the Vice President John Tyler becoming President. Failing health forced his resignation from the Senate in 1842. Samuel Southard died in Fredericksburg, Virginia on June 26 of that year. He was interred in the Congressional Cemetery.
Societies[]
During the 1820s, Southard was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, who counted among their members former presidents Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.[1]
Legacy[]
The destroyer USS Southard (DD-207), (later DMS-10), 1919–1946, was named in his honor. There is also a public park in Basking Ridge, New Jersey named after him.
References[]
- ↑ Rathbun, Richard. The Columbian institute for the promotion of arts and sciences: A Washington Society of 1816-1838.. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, October 18, 1917. http://books.google.com/books?id=MY-5AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA118&lpg=PA118&dq=%22columbian+institute%22&source=bl&ots=norHpKppMQ&sig=Xn1668nfr6y_EhAJVYUcGRBN1pk&hl=en&ei=3jAeTM3mAYHcMaqrjfUM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCcQ6AEwBzgU#v=onepage&q=%22columbian%20institute%22&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
Sources[]
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History & Heritage Command.
- Dictionary of American Biography.
- Birkner, Michael. Samuel L. Southard: Jeffersonian Whig. Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984.
- Ershkowitz, Herbert. Samuel L. Southard: A Case Study of Whig Leadership in the Age of Jackson. New Jersey History 88 (Spring 1970): 5-24.
- Samuel L. Southard Papers (1783-1893),(bulk 1802-1846), Finding Aid C0250, consisting of 170 boxes and 73.6 lineal feet of original documents of financial and personal affairs, including correspondence from Charles Muir Campbell of Princeton, NJ. Most boxes are organized by year and subject. Access to these documents is Princeton University Library, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Manuscripts Division.
External links[]
- Samuel L. Southard at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- New Jersey Governor Samuel Lewis Southard, National Governors Association
- Samuel Lewis Southard at The Political Graveyard
- Samuel Lewis Southard at Find A Grave
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The original article can be found at Samuel L. Southard and the edit history here.