Charles Jackson (Rhode Island)
Encyclopedia
Jackson was born in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, and graduated from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1820. He founded a cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
manufacturing company, and later built a rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
factory after acquiring patent rights from Charles Goodyear
Charles Goodyear
Charles Goodyear was an American inventor who developed a process to vulcanize rubber in 1839 -- a method that he perfected while living and working in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1844, and for which he received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844Although...
; he later expanded into firearms and railroad equipment manufacturing.
Jackson was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
Rhode Island House of Representatives
The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. It is composed of 75 members, elected to two year terms from 75 districts of equal population. The Rhode Island General Assembly does not have...
, serving as Speaker in 1841-42. He was elected Governor on the Liberation Party (Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
) ticket, defeating incumbent James Fenner
James Fenner
James Fenner was an American politician who served as an United States Senator as well as the seventh, 11th and 17th Governor of Rhode Island . He was the son of Arthur Fenner, the fourth governor of Rhode Island.Fenner was born in Providence, Rhode Island...
. He signed a bill freeing Thomas Wilson Dorr
Thomas Wilson Dorr
Thomas Wilson Dorr , was American politician and reformer, best known for leading the Dorr Rebellion....
and all other prisoners who had been convicted of treason against the state after the Dorr Rebellion
Dorr Rebellion
The Dorr Rebellion was a short-lived armed insurrection in the U.S. state of Rhode Island led by Thomas Wilson Dorr, who was agitating for changes to the state's electoral system.- Precursors :...
. The unpopularity of this decision led to his defeat for reelection by Lieutenant Governor Byron Diman
Byron Diman
Byron Diman was an American politician, 19th Governor of Rhode IslandDiman was born in Bristol, Rhode Island on August 5, 1795. He worked in a counting-house for over two decades. He was then engaged in the whaling and mill businesses. He served in the Rhode Island Militia and later became...
.