Israel Pickens (January 30, 1780 – April 24, 1827) was an American politician and lawyer,

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

(

1821 Events January–March * January 21 – Peter I Island in the Antarctic is first sighted, by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. * January 28 – Alexander Island, the largest in Antarctica, is first discovered by Fabian Gottlieb von Be ...

–1825), member of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

(1808–1810), and United States Congressman from North Carolina in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

(1811–1817).

Biography

Born in

Concord, North Carolina Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...

, Pickens graduated from Jefferson College (now

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

) in 1802, studied law and was admitted to the bar. Pickens was a native of North Carolina and represented the "North Carolina Faction" in early Alabama politics, like fellow North Carolina Representative, William R. King, with whom he served Congress during the early 1810s. The main opposition to the "North Carolina Faction" was the "Georgia Faction", who many new settlers to the state viewed them as too aristocratic and elitist, while Pickens was seen as the "spokesman for the have-nots." Pickens married Martha Lenoir in 1814, the daughter of North Carolina statesman

William Lenoir (general) William Lenoir (May 8, 1751 – May 6, 1839) was an American Revolutionary War officer and prominent statesman in late 18th-century and early 19th-century North Carolina. Both the City of Lenoir, North Carolina and Lenoir County, North Car ...

. In both

and 1823 Pickens beat Dr. Henry Chambers by a vote of 9,114 to 7,129 and 6,942 to 4,604 respectively. After serving as governor, and being succeeded by his handpicked man John Murphy, Pickens was appointed to 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 ...

to fill the vacancy left by the death of Henry H. Chambers, whom he beat twice for the governorship. He only served from February 17 to November 27, 1826, when the elected successor,

John McKinley John McKinley (May 1, 1780 – July 19, 1852) was a United States Senate, United States Senator from the U.S. state, state of Alabama and an Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court ...

, took office. In addition to politics, Pickens participated in the

American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America until 1837, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the migration of freebor ...

and was interested in

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

. He invented a lunar dial. Pickens died in

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

in 1827. He was originally buried in a family graveyard but his remains were later moved to City Cemetery,

Greensboro, Alabama Greensboro is a city in Hale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 2,497, down from 2,731 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Hale County, Alabama, which was not organized until 1867. It is part o ...

References

* 1780 births 1827 deaths People from Concord, North Carolina American people of Scotch-Irish descent Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Jacksonian United States senators from Alabama Alabama Democratic-Republicans Alabama Jacksonians Governors of Alabama Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States North Carolina state senators Washington & Jefferson College alumni {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub