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Ambrose Hundley Sevier | |
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| ActingPresident pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office December 27, 1845 – December 28, 1845 | |
| Preceded by | Willie Person Mangum |
| Succeeded by | David Rice Atchison |
| United States Senator fromArkansas | |
| In office September 18, 1836 – March 15, 1848 | |
| Preceded by | (none) |
| Succeeded by | Solon Borland |
| Delegate to theU.S. House of Representatives fromArkansas Territory | |
| In office February 13, 1828 – June 15, 1836 | |
| Preceded by | Henry W. Conway |
| Succeeded by | Statehood achieved |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1801-11-04)November 4, 1801 Greeneville, Tennessee, US |
| Died | December 31, 1848(1848-12-31) (aged 47) Little Rock, Arkansas, US |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Juliette Johnson Sevier |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
Ambrose Hundley Sevier (November 4, 1801 – December 31, 1848) was an attorney, politician andplanter fromArkansas. A member of the politicalConway-Johnson family that dominated the state and national delegations in theantebellum years, he was elected by the legislature as aDemocratic U.S. Senator. He served asSpeaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives.[1]
Ambrose Hundley Sevier was born nearGreeneville, Tennessee inGreene County, Tennessee. Sevier moved toMissouri in 1820 and toLittle Rock, Arkansas in 1821. In Arkansas he became clerk of the TerritorialHouse of Representatives. He studied law and was admitted to thebar in 1823.
Sevier married Juliette Johnson, the sister ofRobert Ward Johnson, who also became an influential politician in the state. Their father Benjamin Johnson had gone to Arkansas as the first territorial judge; in 1836 he was appointed as the first federal district judge when the territory became a state.[2] Ambrose and Juliette had several children.
Sevier was elected to the Territorial House of Representatives and served from 1823 to 1827; he was elected asSpeaker of that body in 1827.
He was elected as a Jacksonian Delegate to the20th US Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofHenry Wharton Conway, killed as a result of a duel with a former friend. 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 theUnited States Senate from Arkansas. He was reelected in 1837 and 1843. He resigned from office in 1848. During the29th Congress, he was allowed to hold the seat of Presidentpro tem of the Senate for a day, though he was not elected to that post. During his tenure, he served as chairman of the Committee onIndian Affairs and was a member of theCommittee on Foreign Relations.
In 1848 Sevier andNathan Clifford, the Attorney General of the United States, were appointed ambassadors toMexico by PresidentJames K. Polk to negotiate theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo at the end of theMexican–American War.
After completing this project, Ambrose Hundley Sevier died the last day of that year on hisplantation inPulaski County, Arkansas. He was buried in the historicMount Holly Cemetery. The State of Arkansas erected a monument in the cemetery in his honor.
Sevier was part of the powerful "Family" of Democratic politicians in Arkansas, who included his first cousins: RepresentativeHenry Wharton Conway, GovernorJames Sevier Conway, and GovernorElias Nelson Conway; brother-in-law SenatorRobert Ward Johnson, and son-in-law GovernorThomas James Churchill.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives fromArkansas Territory February 13, 1828 – June 15, 1836 | Arkansas admitted to the Union |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by (none) | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Arkansas September 18, 1836 – March 15, 1848 Served alongside:William Savin Fulton andChester Ashley | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of theSenate Indian Affairs Committee 1840–1841 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of theSenate Indian Affairs Committee 1845–1846 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee 1846–1848 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the United States Senate December 27, 1845(1) | Succeeded by |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. Sevier was not actually elected President pro tempore of the Senate, but was allowed to 'hold the seat' for a day. | ||
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Chairs of theUnited States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs | ||
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| Full Committee (1820–1947) | | |
| Select Committee (1977–1993) | ||
| Full Committee (1993–) | ||
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