Orville Hickman Browning (February 10, 1806 – August 10, 1881) was an attorney in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

and a politician who was active in the Whig and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Parties. He is notable for his service as a U.S. Senator and the

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...

. Born in Kentucky, and trained as a lawyer, Browning settled in Illinois, where he served in the militia during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...

, established himself as a successful attorney, and became involved in politics as a Whig. He served in the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives, and ran unsuccessfully for 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. When the Whig Party broke apart in the mid 1850s and the Republican Party was formed as the country's major anti-slavery party, Browning took part in the convention that organized the party in Illinois. In 1861, Browning 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 ...

seat left vacant by the death of Stephen A. Douglas; he served until January 1863, after which he resumed practicing law. After the death of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, Browning became a supporter of Andrew Johnson; in 1866, Johnson named Browning as U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and Browning served until the end of Johnson's term in March 1869. After leaving office, Browning practiced law in Washington, DC and Illinois. He was elected as a Democratic candidate for a delegate's position at the 1869-1870 Illinois constitutional convention. He died in Illinois in 1881.

Early life

Browning was born in

Cynthiana, Kentucky Cynthiana is a home rule-class city in Harrison County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 6,402 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of its county. History The settlement developed on both sides of the South Fork of the Licki ...

on February 10, 1806, the son of Sally (Brown) Browning and Micaijah Browning. Sally Brown was the daughter of James Brown, a judge in Bourbon County. Micaijah Browning was a prominent merchant and farmer who also served as a justice of the peace, member of the county court, and presiding county court judge. Orville Browning attended Augusta College in

Augusta, Kentucky Augusta is a home rule-class city in Bracken County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is sited upon the southern bank of the Ohio River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,190. When Bracken County was organized in 1796, Augusta wa ...

, studied law with his uncle William Brown, and attained admission to the bar in 1831.

Start of career

After becoming an attorney, Browning moved to Quincy, Illinois, where he established a practice in partnership with

Nehemiah Bushnell Nehemiah H. Bushnell (October 9, 1813 – January 31, 1873) was an American attorney, railroad president, and politician from Connecticut. A graduate of Yale University and the Harvard School of Law, Bushnell settled in Quincy, Illinois to pract ...

. During the 1832

he served in the Illinois Militia. Active in politics as a Whig, he served in the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

from 1836 to 1840, and the Illinois House of Representatives from 1842 to 1844. His military and political careers overlapped

's; as a result of their involvement in Whig politics and their shared Kentucky backgrounds, Lincoln and Browning became lifelong friends. In 1844, Browning successfully defended five men who had been accused of the murder of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

, founder of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by J ...

. Browning was an unsuccessful candidate for election to Congress in 1843, 1850, and 1852. In May 1856, he was a delegate to the convention in Bloomington, Illinois which was held in opposition to the

Kansas–Nebraska Act The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 () was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed by the 33rd United States Congress, and signed into law by ...

, one of the events that led to the creation of the Republican Party.

National politics

In 1861, Browning was appointed to the

, filling the vacancy created by the death of Stephen A. Douglas. He did not run for a full term, and served from June 1861 to January 1863. During his time in the Senate Browning served as the chairman of the Committee on Enrolled Bills. He remained in Washington after his term expired, and resumed the practice of law. President Andrew Johnson appointed Browning as Secretary of the Interior in 1866, and he served until the end of Johnson's term in 1869. From March to July, 1868 Browning also served as the interim

U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

following the resignation of

Henry Stanbery Henry Stanbery (February 20, 1803 – June 26, 1881) was an American lawyer from Ohio. He was most notable for his service as Ohio's first attorney general from 1846 to 1851 and the United States Attorney General from 1866 to 1868. A native of N ...

Later life

After leaving office, he worked as a Washington lobbyist and lawyer in partnership with Edgar Cowan,

Thomas Ewing Thomas Ewing Sr. (December 28, 1789October 26, 1871) was a National Republican and Whig politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate as well as serving as the secretary of the treasury and the first secretary of the interior. He is als ...

and others. He won election as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1869-1870.

Death and burial

Browning died on August 10, 1881 in Quincy and was buried at

Woodland Cemetery Woodland Cemetery may refer to: * Woodland cemetery, a type of cemetery or it may refer to specific places: in Sweden * Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) in Stockholm, Sweden in the United States (by state) * Woodland Cemetery (Quincy, I ...

there. The Quincy Post Office and Courthouse is named for him.

Family

Browning's siblings included: Talitha Ann; Amanda; Miranda; Marcus Elliott; Milton Davis; Zelinda Field; Ann Davis; and Elizabeth Brown. In 1836, Browning married Eliza H. Caldwell, a native of Kentucky. They had no children, but became the parents of a foster daughter whose mother had died. Emma Lord (1848-1885) resided with the Brownings from the age of five; she became the wife of Orrin Skinner, an attorney who practiced in New York and later moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Skinner was later revealed to be a conman, and he was arrested several times for check forgery and other frauds. Skinner died in New York's

Auburn Prison Auburn Correctional Facility is a state prison on State Street in Auburn, New York, United States. It was built on land that was once a Cayuga village. It is classified as a maximum security facility. History Constructed in 1816 as Auburn Pri ...

in 1896.

References

Sources

Books

* * * * * * *

Newspapers

* *

Notes

Bibliography

*''Dictionary of American Biography''. * *

External links

Retrieved on 2009-5-13
Orville Browning at Mr. Lincoln's White House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Browning, Orville Hickman 1806 births 1881 deaths People from Cynthiana, Kentucky Illinois Whigs Illinois Republicans Illinois lawyers Members of the Illinois House of Representatives Illinois state senators United States Secretaries of the Interior People of Illinois in the American Civil War American people of the Black Hawk War Union (American Civil War) political leaders People from Quincy, Illinois 19th-century American politicians Republican Party United States senators from Illinois Andrew Johnson administration cabinet members Burials in Illinois Augusta College (Kentucky) alumni