David Holmes (politician)
David Holmes | |
---|---|
Governor of Mississippi Territory | |
In office March 7, 1809 – December 10, 1817 | |
Appointed by | Thomas Jefferson |
Preceded by | Robert Williams |
Succeeded by | Himself (as Governor of the State of Mississippi) |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 4th district | |
In office March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1809 | |
Preceded by | Abram Trigg |
Succeeded by | Jacob Swoope |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 2nd district | |
In office March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803 | |
Preceded by | Andrew Moore |
Succeeded by | James Stephenson |
Personal details | |
Born | College of William and Mary | March 10, 1769
David Holmes (March 10, 1769 – August 20, 1832) was an American politician in Virginia and Mississippi. He served five terms as a U.S. congressman from Virginia's 2nd congressional district and later was important in Mississippi's development as a state. The federal government appointed him as the fourth and last governor of the Mississippi Territory. In 1817, he was unanimously elected as the first governor of the state of Mississippi. He served a term as U.S. senator from Mississippi, appointed to fill a vacancy until elected by the legislature. Elected again as governor, he was forced to resign early due to ill health. He returned to Virginia in his last years.
Career
Born near Hanover in York County, Province of Pennsylvania, Holmes, as a child, moved with his family to Frederick County, Virginia. He attended Winchester Academy, ultimately studying law and passing the bar. He started his practice in Harrisonburg, Virginia. By adulthood, he considered himself a Virginian.[1] He served as U.S. Representative from Virginia's 2nd congressional district, serving a total of five terms from 1797 until 1809, as he was repeatedly re-elected.
Electoral history
- 1797; Holmes was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 2nd congressional district, with 60.4% of the vote, defeating Democratic-Republican John Bowyer and Federalist John Steele.
- 1799; Holmes was re-elected with 83.56% of the vote, defeating Federalist Robert Porterfield.
- 1801; Holmes was re-elected over Federalist Alexander Sinclair.
- 1803; Holmes was re-elected with 70.39% of the vote, defeating Federalist Isaac Van Meter.
- 1805; Holmes was re-elected unopposed.
- 1807; Holmes was re-elected unopposed.
Mississippi Territory
President Thomas Jefferson appointed Holmes as the fourth governor of the Mississippi Territory. Holmes was very popular, and his appointment marked the end of a long period of political factionalism within the territory. European Americans were pressing to gain more land and encroaching on Native American territory of the Chickasaw and Choctaw people.
Holmes was the last governor of the Mississippi Territory, serving from 1809 to 1817. He was generally successful in dealing with a variety of matters, including expansion, land policy, Indians, the War of 1812, and the constitutional convention of 1817 (of which he was elected president).
Often concerned with problems regarding West Florida, he had a significant role in 1810 in negotiations that led to the peaceful occupation by the United States of part of that territory. McCain (1967) concludes that Holmes's success was not based on brilliance but upon kindness, unselfishness, persuasiveness, courage, honesty, diplomacy, and intelligence.[2]
Mississippi statehood
In 1817, Mississippi joined the United States as the 20th state. Holmes was elected unanimously as the first governor of the State of Mississippi.[3] He took the oath of office in October 1817. However, Mississippi did not officially become a state until December. He established the state judicial system and the state militia during his term. He also organized the land east of the Pearl River, which the Choctaw people had ceded to the United States under considerable pressure.
In 1820, he was appointed as a
Holmes returned to near
Legacy
Holmes County, Mississippi, is named in honor of him.[5]
Holmes Avenue in Huntsville, Alabama was part of the Mississippi Territory when built and is named in honor of him.[6][7]
References
- ^ a b "HOLMES, David 1769–1832". US House of Representatives. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ McCain 1967
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MS Governor Race - Sep 01, 1817".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MS Governor Race - Aug 01, 1825".
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 159.
- ^ Did You Know?, 200 Alabama Bicentennial,
Holmes Avenue is named after David Holmes, who was the fourth Governor of Mississippi Territory and the first Governor of the state of Mississippi. He would later represent Mississippi in the United States Senate.
- ^ Nilsson, Dex (2003), Why Is It Named That? (PDF), Huntsville History Collection, pp. 38–39, retrieved May 9, 2022
Further reading
- D.H. Conrad, "David Holmes: First Governor of Mississippi," Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Centenary Series, vol. 4 (1921), pp. 234–257.
- Howard P. Hildreth, "David Holmes," Virginia Cavalcade, vol. 16, no. 4 (Spring 1967), pp. 38–40.
- McCain, William D. (1967). "The Administrations of David Holmes, Governor of the Mississippi Territory, 1809–1817". Journal of Mississippi History. 29 (3): 328–347.
- Jo Anne McCormick Quatannens and Diane B. Boyle (eds.), Senators of the United States: A Historical Bibliography. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1995; pg. 136.
External links
- United States Congress. "David Holmes (id: H000735)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.