Ambrose Hundley Sevier
Encyclopedia
Ambrose Hundley Sevier was a Democratic member of the United States Senate
from Arkansas
.
Ambrose Hundley Sevier was born near Greeneville, Tennessee
in Greene County, Tennessee. Sevier moved to Missouri
in 1820 and to Little Rock, Arkansas
in 1821.
In Arkansas he became clerk of the Territorial House of Representatives
. He studied law and was admitted to the bar
in 1823. Sevier became a member of the House of Representatives and served from 1823 to 1827 and served as speaker
of that body in 1827.
Sevier was elected as a Delegate to the Twentieth US Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry Wharton Conway
. Sevier was reelected and served as delegate in three successive congresses from 1828 to 1836 when Arkansas was admitted to the Union. Sevier is known as the "Father of Arkansas Statehood".
In 1836 Sevier was elected as the first member of the United States Senate
from Arkansas. He was reelected in 1837 and 1843. He resigned from office in 1848. During the twenty-ninth Congress he was allowed to hold the seat of President pro tem of the Senate for a day, though he was not actually elected to that post. During his tenure he served as chairman of the Committee on Indian
Affairs and was a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations.
In 1848 Sevier and Nathan Clifford
, the Attorney General of the United States, were appointed ambassadors to Mexico
by President James K. Polk
to negotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
at the end of the Mexican-American War.
Ambrose Hundley Sevier died on his plantation
in Pulaski County, Arkansas. He was buried in the historic Mount Holly Cemetery
. The State of Arkansas erected a monument in the cemetery in his honor.
Sevier was the grandnephew of John Sevier
, first cousin of Representative Henry Wharton Conway
, Governor James Sevier Conway
, Governor Elias Nelson Conway
, brother-in-law of Senator Robert Ward Johnson
and father-in-law of Governor Thomas James Churchill
.
Sevier County, Arkansas is named in his honor.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Ambrose Hundley Sevier was born near Greeneville, Tennessee
Greeneville, Tennessee
Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there...
in Greene County, Tennessee. Sevier moved to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1820 and to Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
in 1821.
In Arkansas he became clerk of the Territorial House of Representatives
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
. He studied law and was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1823. Sevier became a member of the House of Representatives and served from 1823 to 1827 and served as speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of that body in 1827.
Sevier was elected as a Delegate to the Twentieth US Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry Wharton Conway
Henry Wharton Conway
Henry Wharton Conway was a delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Arkansas Territory....
. Sevier was reelected and served as delegate in three successive congresses from 1828 to 1836 when Arkansas was admitted to the Union. Sevier is known as the "Father of Arkansas Statehood".
In 1836 Sevier was elected as the first member of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Arkansas. He was reelected in 1837 and 1843. He resigned from office in 1848. During the twenty-ninth Congress he was allowed to hold the seat of President pro tem of the Senate for a day, though he was not actually elected to that post. During his tenure he served as chairman of the Committee on Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Affairs and was a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations.
In 1848 Sevier and Nathan Clifford
Nathan Clifford
Nathan Clifford was an American statesman, diplomat and jurist.Clifford was born of old Yankee stock in Rumney, New Hampshire, to farmers, the only son of seven children He attended the public schools of that town, then the Haverhill Academy in New...
, the Attorney General of the United States, were appointed ambassadors to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
by President James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
to negotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
at the end of the Mexican-American War.
Ambrose Hundley Sevier died on his plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in Pulaski County, Arkansas. He was buried in the historic Mount Holly Cemetery
Mount Holly Cemetery
Mount Holly Cemetery is the original cemetery in the Quapaw Quarter area of downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, and is the resting place for numerous Arkansans of note...
. The State of Arkansas erected a monument in the cemetery in his honor.
Sevier was the grandnephew of John Sevier
John Sevier
John Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
, first cousin of Representative Henry Wharton Conway
Henry Wharton Conway
Henry Wharton Conway was a delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Arkansas Territory....
, Governor James Sevier Conway
James Sevier Conway
James Sevier Conway was a Democratic Governor of the State of Arkansas, the first elected governor of the state....
, Governor Elias Nelson Conway
Elias Nelson Conway
Elias Nelson Conway was the fifth Governor of Arkansas.Elias Nelson Conway was brother to James Sevier Conway, the first governor of Arkansas. He and his family moved to Missouri. Conway attended Bonne Femme Academy in Boone County, Missouri.In 1833 Conway moved to Little Rock, Arkansas...
, brother-in-law of Senator Robert Ward Johnson
Robert Ward Johnson
Robert Ward Johnson was a Democratic United States Senator and Confederate States Senator from the State of Arkansas....
and father-in-law of Governor Thomas James Churchill
Thomas James Churchill
Thomas James Churchill was a Confederate major general during the American Civil War and the 13th Governor of the state of Arkansas.-Early life:...
.
Sevier County, Arkansas is named in his honor.