Historical records matching Governor Joseph Desha, U.S. Representative
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About Governor Joseph Desha, U.S. Representative
Governor & U.S. Representative Joseph Holmes Desha
9th Governor of Kentucky
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6945014/joseph-holmes-desha
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Desha
Info added per the DAR's "Lineage Book of the Charter Members" by Mary S Lockwood published 1895 showing "a soldier in the Revolution at 15 years of age, with Mad Anthony Wayne in '96, a major general in 1812, and governor of Kentuck in 1825." This DAR info contradicts Wikipedia info shown below.
Joseph Desha (December 9, 1768 – October 11, 1842) was a U.S. Representative and the ninth Governor of Kentucky. Desha was the first Kentucky governor not to have served in the Revolutionary War.[1] He did, however, serve under William Henry Harrison and "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Northwest Indian War, and lost two brothers in battle. He married in 1789 and returned to Kentucky in 1792, settling in Mason County. There he began his political career, serving in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly. In 1807, he began the first of six consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. A Democratic-Republican, he joined his party in supporting the War of 1812. Desha himself volunteered to serve in the war and commanded a division at the Battle of the Thames.
In 1824, Desha ran for governor on a platform of debt relief and won a landslide victory. His term was marred by numerous controversies. Chief among these was the Old Court-New Court controversy, a move by the legislature to abolish the Kentucky Court of Appeals, which was hostile to their debt relief agenda, and replace it with a more sympathetic court. For a time, two courts of last resort existed in the state, but the old court was eventually restored, albeit over Desha's veto. Another contentious issue during Desha's tenure was Horace Holley's presidency of Transylvania University. Many in the state felt that Holley was too liberal and when Desha joined in the criticism, Holley resigned. Also during his term, Desha's son Isaac was convicted of murder, despite the political intervention of his father. Following the conviction, the younger Desha unsuccessfully attempted suicide. Governor Desha then issued a controversial pardon for his son.
Desha did not approve of the election of Thomas Metcalfe to succeed him, and for a time, he threatened not to vacate the governor's mansion. Following his term as governor, Desha retired from public life. He and his wife moved in with their son, and Desha died at his son's residence on October 11, 1842.
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U.S. Representative from Kentucky (1797 and 1799-1802). Served in the State Senate 1803-1807. Elected Governor of Kentucky and served from 1824 to 1828.
Desha, Joseph (1768-1842) — of Mayslick, Mason County, Kentucky. Born in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, December 9, 1768. Democrat. Member of Kentucky state house of representatives, 1797; member of Kentucky state senate, 1803; U.S. Representative from Kentucky, 1807-19 (6th District 1807-13, at-large 1813-15, 4th District 1815-19); Governor of Kentucky, 1824-28. Slaveowner. Died in Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky, October 12, 1842 (age 73 years, 307 days). Interment at Georgetown Cemetery, Georgetown, Kentucky.
Relatives: Brother of Robert Desha; grandfather of Issa Desha (who married William Campbell Preston Breckinridge); great-grandfather of Desha Breckinridge.
Political families: Harrison-Randolph-Marshall-Cabell family of Virginia; Breckinridge-Preston-Cabell-Floyd family of Virginia; Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York; Desha-Breckinridge family of Lexington, Kentucky (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — National Governors Association biography
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Governor Joseph Desha, U.S. Representative's Timeline
| 1768 |
December 9, 1768
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Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
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| 1790 |
December 24, 1790
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Sumner County, Tennessee, United States
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| 1794 |
July 7, 1794
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Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky, United States
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| 1800 |
February 20, 1800
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Mason County, Kentucky, United States
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| 1802 |
January 1, 1802
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Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky, United States
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| 1804 |
July 24, 1804
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Old Washington, Mason County, Kentucky, United States
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| 1808 |
May 31, 1808
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Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky, United States
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| 1812 |
April 25, 1812
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Mason County, Kentucky, United States
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| 1820 |
February 17, 1820
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Boone County, Kentucky, United States
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