David Meriwether (Kentucky politician)

American politician and lawyer (1800–1893)

David Meriwether

3rd Governor of New Mexico Territory
In office
May 6, 1853 – August 17, 1857
Appointed by| Franklin Pierce
Preceded by| William Carr Lane
Succeeded by| Abraham Rencher
United States Senator
from Kentucky
In office
July 6, 1852 – August 17, 1852
Appointed by| Lazarus W. Powell
Preceded by| Henry Clay
Succeeded by| Archibald Dixon
33rd Secretary of State of Kentucky
In office
September 3, 1851 – July 5, 1852
Governor| Lazarus W. Powell
Preceded by| John William Finnell
Succeeded by| James P. Metcalfe
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
In office
1832–1845
1858–1885
Personal details
Born| (1800-10-30)October 30, 1800
Louisa County, Virginia, U.S.
Died| April 4, 1893(1893-04-04) (aged 92)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Resting place| Cave Hill Cemetery
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Political party| Democratic

David Meriwether (October 30, 1800 – April 4, 1893) was a United States Senator from Kentucky and a Governor of the New Mexico Territory.

Born in Louisa County, Virginia, Meriwether moved with his parents to Jefferson County, Kentucky, in 1803. He attended the common schools and engaged in fur trading in 1818 near what is now Council Bluffs, Iowa. He later engaged in agricultural pursuits in Jefferson County.

Meriwether studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice. He was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1832 to 1845. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1847 to the Thirtieth Congress. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1849, and was Secretary of State of Kentucky in 1851.

Meriwether was appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry Clay, and served from July 6, 1852, to August 31, 1852, when Archibald Dixon was elected his successor. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1852.

In 1853, Meriwether was appointed by President Franklin Pierce as Governor of the Territory of New Mexico[1] after the position was turned down by Solon Borland, and continued in office to 1855. From April to July 1854, when Meriwether was out of state, the Secretary of the Territory, William S. Messervy, was acting Governor.[2][3][4]

Meriwether later served again in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1858 to 1885, and served as speaker in 1859. After this he retired to his plantation near Louisville, Kentucky. He was interred in Cave Hill Cemetery.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ State of New Mexico (July 2012). Kathryn A. Flynn (ed.). 2012 Centennial Blue Book (PDF). Diana J. Duran. Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State. p. 210\. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
2. ^ W. G. Ritch, The Legislative Blue-book of the Territory of New Mexico (Santa Fe, New Mexico: Charles W. Greene, 1882), p. 118
3. ^ “Indian Disbursements” in Executive Documents, Printed by Order of the Senate of the United States, Vol. 11 (Washington: Beverley Tucker, Senate Printer, 1855), p. 227
4. ^ "Messervy, William S.", snaccooperative.org, citing Guide to the William S. Messervy Collection, 1791-1927 (Museum of New Mexico Fray Angélico Chávez History Library), accessed 24 June 2022

* This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
* Meriwether, David. My Life in the Mountains and on the Plains. Edited by Robert A. Griffen. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965.

Political offices

Preceded by

John W. Finnell

|  Secretary of State of Kentucky
1851–1852  | Succeeded by

James P. Metcalfe

Preceded by

William Carr Lane

|  Governor of New Mexico Territory
1853–1855  | Succeeded by

Abraham Rencher

U.S. Senate
Preceded by

Henry Clay

|  U.S. senator (Class 3) from Kentucky
1852
Served alongside: Joseph R. Underwood | Succeeded by

Archibald Dixon

Honorary titles
Preceded by

Simon Cameron

|  Oldest living U.S. senator
June 26, 1889 – April 4, 1893  | Succeeded by

James W. Bradbury

* v
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* e

United States senators from Kentucky

Class 2|

* Brown
* Thruston
* Clay
* Bibb
* Walker
* Barry
* Hardin
* Crittenden
* Johnson
* Bibb
* Crittenden
* Morehead
* J. Underwood
* Thompson
* Powell
* Guthrie
* McCreery
* Stevenson
* Beck
* Carlisle
* Lindsay
* Blackburn
* Paynter
* James
* Martin
* Stanley
* Sackett
* Robsion
* Williamson
* M. Logan
* Chandler
* Stanfill
* Cooper
* Chapman
* T. Underwood
* Cooper
* Barkley
* Humphreys
* Cooper
* Huddleston
* McConnell

Class 3|

* Edwards
* Marshall
* J. Breckinridge
* Adair
* Clay
* Pope
* Bledsoe
* Talbot
* W. Logan
* Talbot
* Rowan
* Clay
* Crittenden
* Metcalfe
* Clay
* Meriwether
* Dixon
* Crittenden
* J. C. Breckinridge
* Davis
* Machen
* McCreery
* Williams
* Blackburn
* Deboe
* McCreary
* Bradley
* Camden
* Beckham
* Ernst
* Barkley
* Withers
* Clements
* Morton
* Cook
* Ford
* Bunning
* Paul

* v
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Governors of New Mexico

U.S. Military Admin (1846-1851)|

Military
Kearny
Price
Washington
Munroe
Civilian
Bent
Vigil
Connelly

U.S. Territory (1851-1912)|

* Calhoun
* Lane
* Meriwether
* Rencher
* Connelly
* Mitchell
* Pile
* Giddings
* Axtell
* Wallace
* Sheldon
* Ross
* Prince
* Thornton
* Otero
* Hagerman
* Curry
* Mills

State (since 1912)|

* McDonald
* C. De Baca
* Lindsey
* Larrazolo
* M. Mechem
* Hinkle
* Hannett
* Dillon
* Seligman
* Hockenhull
* Tingley
* Miles
* Dempsey
* Mabry
* E. Mechem
* Simms
* E. Mechem
* Burroughs
* E. Mechem
* Bolack
* Campbell
* Cargo
* King
* Apodaca
* King
* Anaya
* Carruthers
* King
* Johnson
* Richardson
* Martinez
* Lujan Grisham

See also Mexican governors of New Mexico, Spanish governors of New Mexico

* v
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* e

Kentucky's delegation(s) to the 32nd United States Congress (ordered by seniority)

| 32nd |

Senate:

* ▌J. R. Underwood (W)
* ▌H. Clay (W)

* ▌D. Meriwether (D)
* ▌A. Dixon (W)

House:

* ▌L. Boyd (D)
* ▌H. Marshall (W)
* ▌J. Mason (D)
* ▌R. Stanton (D)
* ▌J. Stone (D)
* ▌J. C. Breckinridge (D)
* ▌P. Ewing (W)
* ▌B. Grey (W)
* ▌W. Ward (W)
* ▌A. White (W)
* ▌W. Preston (W)

|
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Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
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National|

* Germany
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* Netherlands

People|

* US Congress

Other|

* SNAC

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