Charles Jackson (March 4, 1797January 21, 1876) was the 18th

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, o ...

from 1845 to 1846.

Early life

Jackson was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, on March 4, 1797, and was the son of Richard Jackson, Jr. He graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1817, and received a master's degree in 1820. He also studied law with

James Burrill, Jr. James Burrill Jr. (April 25, 1772 – December 25, 1820) was a Federalist-party United States senator representing the state of Rhode Island. He served in the senate from 1817 until 1820. He graduated from the College of Rhode Island and Provi ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1820.

Business career

In addition to practicing law, Jackson was involved in several businesses, including a

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

manufacturing company. He also built a

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

factory after acquiring patent rights from

Charles Goodyear Charles Goodyear (December 29, 1800 – July 1, 1860) was an American self-taught chemist and manufacturing engineer who developed vulcanized rubber, for which he received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844. ...

. Jackson's ventures proved successful, and he later expanded into firearms as operator of the Burnside Rifle Works and a company that manufactured railroad equipment.

Political career

Jackson was active in politics as a Whig, served several terms in the

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, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected t ...

, and was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

from 1841 to 1842. In 1843 he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention. Jackson served as governor from 1845 to 1846, after defeating incumbent

James Fenner James Fenner (January 22, 1771April 17, 1846) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator as well as the 7th, 11th and 17th Governor of Rhode Island (on three occasions). He was the son of Arthur Fenner, the fourth governor ...

. He was elected as a Whig identified with the Liberation movement, which advocated freedom for those imprisoned as a result of the

Dorr Rebellion The Dorr Rebellion (1841–1842) (also referred to as Dorr's Rebellion, Dorr's War or Dorr War) was an attempt by disenfranchised residents to force broader democracy in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, where a small rural elite was in control of ...

. Jackson signed a bill freeing rebellion leader

Thomas Wilson Dorr Thomas Wilson Dorr (November 5, 1805December 27, 1854), was an American politician and reformer in Rhode Island, best known for leading the Dorr Rebellion. Early life, family, and education Thomas Wilson Dorr was born in Providence, Rhode Isla ...

and all others who had been convicted. In response, Whig opponents of freeing Dorr organized a "Law & Order Party." Jackson was nominated for governor by the Democrats, and was defeated by

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Byron Diman Byron Diman (August 5, 1795 – August 1, 1865) was an American politician who served as 19th Governor of Rhode Island. Diman was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, on August 5, 1795. He worked in a counting-house for over two decades. He was then e ...

. In 1857 Jackson was an unsuccessful candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Death and burial

Jackson died in Providence on January 21, 1876. He was buried at

North Burial Ground The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island dating to 1700, the first public cemetery in Providence. It is located north of downtown Providence, bounded by North Main Street, Branch Avenue, the Moshassuck River, and Ceme ...

in Providence.Rhode Island Genealogical Society
North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island: Old Section, 1700-1848
2000, page 275

Family

Jackson was married twice. His first wife was Catherine Dexter (1805-1832), whom he married in 1827. In 1836 he married Phebe Tisdale (died March 3, 1883) of

Scituate, Rhode Island Scituate () is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 10,384 at the 2020 census. History Scituate was first settled in 1710 by emigrants from Scituate, Massachusetts. The original spelling of the town's nam ...

. He had seven children, five of whom lived to adulthood.

References

External links

Charles Jackson
a
''National Governors Association''
*

a
''The Political Graveyard''
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Charles 1797 births 1876 deaths Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island Rhode Island lawyers 19th-century American businesspeople Governors of Rhode Island Speakers of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Brown University alumni Rhode Island Whigs Dorr Rebellion Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence) Whig Party state governors of the United States 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers