William Alexander Graham

Infobox Senator
name =William Alexander Graham

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imagesize =200px
jr/sr =Junior Senator
state =North Carolina
term_start =November 25, 1840
term_end =March 3, 1843
preceded =Robert Strange
succeeded =William H. Haywood, Jr.
order2 =30th Governor of North Carolina
term_start2 =1845
term_end2 =1849
predecessor2 =John Motley Morehead
order3 =20th United States Secretary of the Navy
term_start3 =August 2, 1850
term_end3 =July 25, 1852
predecessor3 =William Ballard Preston
successor3 = John P. Kennedy
successor2 = Charles Manly
birth_date =September 5, 1804
birth_place =Lincoln County, North Carolina
death_date =August 11, 1875
death_place =Saratoga Springs, New York
nationality =
party =Whig
spouse =
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession =Politician, Lawyer
religion =


website =
footnotes =

William Alexander Graham (September 5, 1804ndash August 11, 1875) was a United States Senator from North Carolina from 1840 to 1843, Governor of North Carolina from 1845 to 1849 and United States Secretary of the Navy from 1850 to 1852. He was also a candidate for the vice-presidency in 1852.

Education

Born near Lincolnton, North Carolina, Graham graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1824. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1825, and commenced practice in Hillsborough.

Political career

From 1833 to 1840 Graham was a member of the North Carolina House of Commons from Orange County, serving twice as speaker.

In 1840 Graham was elected as a Whig to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Robert Strange, and served from November 25, 1840, to March 3, 1843. In the Twenty-seventh Congress he was chairman of the Senate Committee on Claims. His older brother, James Graham, had been representing North Carolina in the House since 1833.

From 1845 to 1849 Graham was Governor of North Carolina. Having declined appointments as ambassador to Spain and Russia in 1849, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy in the cabinet of President Millard Fillmore in 1850, and served until 1852. In the 1852 presidential election he was the unsuccessful Whig nominee for vice president, as Winfield Scott's running mate. Returning to North Carolina, he was a member of the state senate from 1854 to 1866, and senator in the Confederate Congress from 1864 to 1865.

Later life and legacy

In 1866 Graham was once again elected to the United States Senate, but because North Carolina had not yet been readmitted to the Union, he did not present his credentials. From 1867 to 1875 he was a member of the board of trustees of the Peabody Fund, which provided educational assistance to the post-Civil War South. From 1873 to 1875 he was an arbitrator in the boundary line dispute between Virginia and Maryland. He died in Saratoga Springs, New York, and is buried in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Hillsborough.

The United States Navy ship, "USS Graham (DD-192)", the World War II Liberty ship "SS William A. Graham", and the city of Graham, North Carolina were all named for him.

Montrose Gardens, located in Hillsborough, North Carolina, is one of Graham's former estates and still features some of the structures Graham and his family had built on the property.

One of Graham's sons, also named William A. Graham, became a state legislator and state agriculture commissioner. Two others, Augustus and John, also became politicians, while a daughter, Susan, married Walter Clark.

References