Abel P. Upshur
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| Abel Parker Upshur | |
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| In office October 11, 1841 – July 23, 1843 |
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| Preceded by | George E. Badger |
| Succeeded by | David Henshaw |
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| In office July 24, 1843 – February 28, 1844 |
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| Preceded by | Daniel Webster |
| Succeeded by | John C. Calhoun |
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| Born | June 17, 1790 Accomack County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | February 28, 1844 (aged 53) Potomac River |
| Political party | Whig |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Abel Parker Upshur (June 17, 1790 – February 28, 1844) was an American lawyer, judge and politician from Virginia. Upshur was active in Virginia state politics and later served as Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State during the Whig administration of President John Tyler. Upshur was instrumental in negotiating the secret treaty that led to the annexation of Texas to the United States and played a key role in ensuring that Texas was admitted to the United States as a slave state. He was among several people killed when a gun exploded during an official function on board the steam warship USS Princeton.
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[edit] Early life and political career
Upshur was born in the town of Pungoteague in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and attended Yale University and Princeton University. He studied law in Virginia and was admitted to the bar in 1810.
After spending time in Baltimore, Maryland, Upshur developed a thriving law practice in Richmond, Virginia, and was an active participant in state politics. He was elected to a term in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1812, was Commonwealth's Attorney for Richmond, ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress, returned to the legislature in 1825, was an influential delegate to the Virginia State Constitutional Convention in 1829 to 1830 and was elected to the Virginia General Court.
Throughout his political career, Upshur was a stalwart conservative and advocate for states' rights. He opposed democratic reform at the Virginia Convention of 1829-30, backed the nullification movement in South Carolina, and defended slavery as a positive good. Upshur's conservative view of the Constitution received its fullest expression in his 1840 treatise, A Brief Enquiry into the Nature and Character of our Federal Government: Being a Review of Judge Story's Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States.
[edit] Secretary of the Navy
Upshur's political reach became national when John Tyler became President of the United States in 1841 and selected him to become the 13th United States Secretary of the Navy in October of that year. His time with the Navy was marked by a strong emphasis on reform and reorganization and efforts to expand and modernize the service. He served from October 11, 1841 to July 23, 1843, and among his achievements were the replacement of the old Board of Navy Commissioners with the bureau system, regularization of the officer corps, increased Navy appropriations, construction of new sailing and steam warships, and the establishment of the United States Naval Observatory and Hydrographic Office.
[edit] Secretary of State
In July 1843, President Tyler appointed Upshur United States Secretary of State, to succeed Daniel Webster, who had resigned. His chief accomplishment was advocating for the annexation of the Republic of Texas as a slave state. Upshur and Texas ambassador Isaac Van Zandt worked closely on the treaty of annexation until Upshur's untimely death. He was also heavily involved in the negotiations in the Oregon boundary dispute and was a strong advocate of bringing the Oregon Country into the union. He was eventually willing to settle on the 49th parallel compromise, although negotiations were not finished until after his death (and after the end of Tyler's term).[1]
[edit] The USS Princeton explosion
On February 28, 1844, while joining the President and many other dignitaries for a Potomac River cruise on the new steamship USS Princeton, Secretary Upshur and several others were killed when one of the ship's guns exploded. He is buried at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
[edit] Honors
Two ships have been named in his honor:
- The destroyer USS Abel P. Upshur (DD-193) was originally commissioned in 1920, and later a Lend-Lease ship for Great Britain.
- In World War II the United States liberty ship SS Abel Parker Upshur was named in his honor.
These places have been named in his honor:
- Upshur County, West Virginia
- Upshur County, Texas
- Upshur Streets in northwest Washington, D.C. and northwest Portland, Oregon
One of the persons killed along with Upshur was Capt. Thomas W. Gilmer, Navy Secretary. Both Upshur County, Texas and its county seat, Gilmer, Texas, were thus named for two victims of the USS Princeton explosion.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Naval Historical Center: Secretary Upshur
- Historical Congressional Cemetery: "Most Awful and Most Lamentable Catastrophe!"
- Abel P. Upshur: A Brief Enquiry into the Nature and Character of our Federal Government: Being a Review of Judge Story's Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (full text)
- Abel Parker Upshur - Delmarva Heritage Series
| Preceded by George E. Badger |
United States Secretary of the Navy October 11, 1841 – July 23, 1843 |
Succeeded by David Henshaw |
| Preceded by Daniel Webster |
United States Secretary of State July 24, 1843 – February 28, 1844 |
Succeeded by John C. Calhoun |
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