Jesse Franklin (March 24, 1760August 31, 1823) was the

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

U.S. senator 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 powe ...

from 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 ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

between 1799 and 1805 and between 1807 and 1813. In 1804, Franklin briefly served as

President pro tempore of the United States Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the Vice President of the United States, vice president. According to Articl ...

. He later served as the 20th

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

from 1820 to 1821. Franklin was the brother of Meshack Franklin, who also served in Congress.

Early life

Jesse Franklin was born in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

in the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

on March 24, 1760. He was the son of Bernard and Mary Franklin, the third of seven sons. Franklin moved to

with his father in 1774 and served as a major during the Revolutionary War. During the war he was captured by Tories, but escaped. Franklin was in the

Battle of Kings Mountain The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took plac ...

and served as Adjutant of Colonel

Benjamin Cleveland Benjamin Cleveland (May 28, 1738 – October 1806) was an American pioneer and officer in the North Carolina militia. He is best remembered for his service as a colonel in the Wilkes County Regiment of the North Carolina militia during the War ...

's battalion. (Cleveland was a relative of Franklin's.) He was also at the

Battle of Guilford Court House The Battle of Guilford Court House was on March 15, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, at a site that is now in Greensboro, the seat of Guilford County, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General ...

. He performed further service in partisan warfare against Tories in North Carolina, service that continued to the end of the war. In Greensboro there is a monument to Revolutionary War soldiers

Joseph Winston Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Winston (June 17, 1746 – April 21, 1815) was an American pioneer, planter and American Revolutionary War hero from Surry County, North Carolina, and the first cousin of statesman and Virginia governor Patrick Henry. ...

, Jesse Franklin and Richard Taliaferro, the gift of Governor Thomas M. Holt. Plaque to Joseph Winston Jesse Franklin Richard Talliaferro Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Plaque to Joseph Winston Jesse Franklin Richard Talliaferro Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Early political career and service in Congress

Franklin was a member of the state legislature in 1793–1794 and 1797–1798. He was elected to the Fourth Congress and served from March 4, 1795 to March 4, 1797. Franklin was then elected as a

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 ...

and served from March 4, 1799 to March 4, 1805. Franklin was put up by the Legislature for re-election in December 1804, but Republicans at the time were divided in their support of him and Federalists did not think highly of him, and he was defeated.Jeffersonian Democracy in North Carolina, 1789–1816. Delbert Gilpatrick, p 135. Franklin served as

President pro tempore of the Senate A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

during the Eighth Congress. Franklin then served as a state senator in 1805–1806. In 1806, he was again elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1807 until March 4, 1813. During his second period as a senator, Franklin was known as an advocate of Madison's war measures, and as an opponent of monopolies and central banks. Franklin was appointed a commissioner to negotiate with the Chickasaw Indians near the site of present-day

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

in 1817, an appointment he accepted at the request of General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

Governor of North Carolina

Franklin was Governor of

from 1820 to 1821. During his term as governor, the Canova statue of George Washington was placed at the

state Capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

in a new addition containing a rotunda that was considered an appropriate area for displaying it. As governor, Franklin was considered to be conscientious and practical. He advocated reform in the treatment of criminals, including abolition of ear cropping.

Death

Franklin died in

Surry County, North Carolina Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,359. Its county seat is Dobson, and its largest city is Mount Airy. Surry county comprises the Mount Airy, NC Micropolitan St ...

on August 31, 1823. He was interred in Surry County. In 1906, his remains were moved to Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, near Greensboro.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Jesse 1760 births 1823 deaths People from Orange County, Virginia Virginia colonial people American people of English descent Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from North Carolina Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate Governors of North Carolina Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States People from Surry County, North Carolina