Francis Burt (January 13, 1807 – October 18, 1854) was an American politician from

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

who served as the first Governor of

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska ...

Background

Burt was born on January 13, 1807, to Francis and Katherine (Miles) Burt in

Pendleton, South Carolina Pendleton is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,489 at the 2020 census. It is a sister city of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The Pendleton Historic District, consisting of the town and i ...

. The fifth of ten children, he attended Pendleton Academy but did not graduate. After completing his formal education, Burt

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

under

Warren R. Davis Warren Ransom Davis (May 8, 1793 – January 29, 1835) was an American attorney and Representative from South Carolina's 6th congressional district from 1827-35. Davis was born in Columbia, South Carolina, pursued preparatory studies and gra ...

before establishing his own

legal practice Legal practice is sometimes used to distinguish the body of judicial or administrative precedents, rules, policies, customs, and doctrines from legislative enactments such as statutes and constitutions which might be called "laws" in the strict s ...

. In 1831, he married Georgianna Hall of Charleston.McMullin & Walker, p. 223 The marriage produced three boys and five girls: Frank, Armistead, George Ann, Harriett Giraud, Joanna Lois, Mary Eliza, Katherine, and George Abbott.Morton p. 160 Burt entered politics as a member of South Carolina's Nullification Convention, being one of the 136 delegates voting in support of the

Ordinance of Nullification The Ordinance of Nullification declared the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within the borders of the U.S. state of South Carolina, beginning on February 1, 1833. It began the Nullification Crisis. Passed by a state convention on Novembe ...

.Morton p. 161 In addition to the convention, 1832 saw Burt elected to the

South Carolina General Assembly The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and t ...

. He remained in the state legislature until 1844 when he was elected State Treasurer. Burt left office after a single term and served as editor of the ''Pendleton Messenger'' from 1847 till 1851. In 1852 he was a member of the South Carolina Constitutional Convention.

Nebraska

Due to his active participation in the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

appointed Burt Third Auditor of the

United States Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an United States federal executive departments, executive department. The departme ...

in 1853. The next year Pierce needed to select a governor for the newly created

. After

William Orlando Butler William Orlando Butler (April 19, 1791 – August 6, 1880) was a U.S. political figure and U.S. Army major general from Kentucky. He served as a Democratic congressman from Kentucky from 1839 to 1843, and was the Democratic vice-presidentia ...

declined the position, the President selected Burt. The new governor was commissioned on August 2, 1854, and left his home in Pendleton for Nebraska on September 11.Morton p. 162 Burt's son Armistead and several of his neighbors accompanied him of the four-week trip to the new territory. The new governor had suffered from digestive problems for several years and experienced an intensification of symptoms while en route. His medical condition was such that he spent several days in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

under care of a physician.Morton p. 163 Upon his October 7 arrival in

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...

, Burt had experienced a relapse and was immediately confined to a sick bed in the local

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

to the

Oto Oto, Ōtō, or OTO may refer to: People * Oto (name), including a list of people with the name *The Otoe tribe (also spelled Oto), a Native American people Places *Oto, Spain, a village in the Valle de Broto, in Huesca, Aragon * Otorohanga, a to ...

and

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

. Judge

Fenner Ferguson Fenner Ferguson (April 25, 1814 – October 11, 1859) was an American attorney and politician from the Nebraska Territory. He was most notable for his service as member of the Michigan House of Representatives in 1849, chief justice of Nebraska T ...

administered the oath of office to Burt on October 16, 1854. Two days later, on October 18, 1854, the governor died. Following the death of Governor Burt, Territorial Secretary Thomas B. Cuming became acting governor until the arrival of Governor Mark W. Izard. Burt's body was returned to Pendleton, South Carolina for burial.Morton p. 162 In January 1855, the

Nebraska Territorial Legislature The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855 until 1865 in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory. Major issues Slavery In 1854 the Kansas–Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Missouri Compromise b ...

named

Burt County, Nebraska Burt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska, bordering the west bank of the upper Missouri River. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 6,858. Its county seat is Tekamah. The county was formed in 1854 and named af ...

in honor of the deceased governor.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Francis 1807 births 1854 deaths Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Governors of Nebraska Territory Nebraska Democrats 19th-century American politicians American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law