Tilghman Tucker
Encyclopedia
Tilghman Mayfield Tucker (February 5, 1802–April 3, 1859) was Governor of Mississippi from 1842 to 1844. He was a Democrat.
and lived in Alabama
for a time before moving to Mississippi
. He left his career of blacksmithing and studied law under Judge Daniel W. Wright in Ham;;;ilton, Mississippi. office in Columbus, Mississippi
.
Tucker was elected in 1831 to the Mississippi House of Representatives
as a Democrat and was the first representative from Lowndes County
. He served until 1836 when he was elected state senator.
By 1841, the aftermath of the Panic of 1833 had caused a division among Mississippi Democrats. The issue was whether the state would honor the bonds of the Planters Bank and Union Bank, both of which had failed in the panic. Some Democrats stated that they would support the Whig candidate David Shattuck who wanted the redemption of the bonds. Though Tucker was at first reluctant to accept the Democratic nomination in a hopeless race, he accepted and won with a narrow victory.
During Tucker's two-year term (1842-1844), the Democratic Party remained divided over the bond issue. Also, Tucker's political opponents accused him of not acting fast enough in matter of state treasurer Richard S. Graves, who had embezzled $44,000 of state funding and fled to Canada.
Tucker did not run for re-election, but he did win one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1844 to 1845. He then retired from public life and moved to his Louisiana plantation home named Cottonwood. While visiting his father in Marion County, Alabama
, Tucker died on April 3, 1859.
Much of the information in this article comes from this website:
http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/feature47/governors/10_tilghman_tucker.htm
Biography
Tucker was born in North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and lived in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
for a time before moving to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He left his career of blacksmithing and studied law under Judge Daniel W. Wright in Ham;;;ilton, Mississippi. office in Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...
.
Tucker was elected in 1831 to the Mississippi House of Representatives
Mississippi House of Representatives
The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi....
as a Democrat and was the first representative from Lowndes County
Lowndes County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,586 people, 22,849 households, and 16,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 25,104 housing units at an average density of 50 per square mile...
. He served until 1836 when he was elected state senator.
By 1841, the aftermath of the Panic of 1833 had caused a division among Mississippi Democrats. The issue was whether the state would honor the bonds of the Planters Bank and Union Bank, both of which had failed in the panic. Some Democrats stated that they would support the Whig candidate David Shattuck who wanted the redemption of the bonds. Though Tucker was at first reluctant to accept the Democratic nomination in a hopeless race, he accepted and won with a narrow victory.
During Tucker's two-year term (1842-1844), the Democratic Party remained divided over the bond issue. Also, Tucker's political opponents accused him of not acting fast enough in matter of state treasurer Richard S. Graves, who had embezzled $44,000 of state funding and fled to Canada.
Tucker did not run for re-election, but he did win one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1844 to 1845. He then retired from public life and moved to his Louisiana plantation home named Cottonwood. While visiting his father in Marion County, Alabama
Marion County, Alabama
Marion County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Marion County was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on February 13, 1818. The county is located in the northwestern part of the state, bounded on the west by the state of Mississippi. It encompasses . Marion County...
, Tucker died on April 3, 1859.
Much of the information in this article comes from this website:
http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/feature47/governors/10_tilghman_tucker.htm