William Lewis Sharkey (July 12, 1798 – March 30, 1873) was an American judge and politician from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. A staunch Unionist during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he opposed the 1861

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

of Mississippi. After the end of the

, President Andrew Johnson appointed Sharkey as provisional

governor of Mississippi 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 ...

in 1865. A county in Mississippi is named after Sharkey.

Biography

Early life

William Lewis Sharkey was born on July 12, 1798 in

Sumner County, Tennessee Sumner County is a county located on the central northern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in what is called Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 196,281. Its county seat is Gallatin, and its largest city is Hen ...

. He moved to

Warren County, Mississippi Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,773. Its county seat is Vicksburg. Created by legislative act of December 22, 1809, Warren County is named for American Revolution ...

in 1804 with his family, when he was six years of age. In 1822, he was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Natchez, Mississippi.

Career

In 1825, he moved to

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

. He was later elected for a single term in the Mississippi House of Representatives, where he served from 1828 to 1829. He then served briefly in 1832 as a circuit court judge before being elected to the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi (today the

Supreme Court of Mississippi The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appe ...

), where he sat as a justice for 18 years until his resignation in 1851. Sharkey subsequently was appointed

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

by then-President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

; however, he declined the position. From 1851 to 1854, he served as United States consul in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

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 ...

. He was a member of the Whig Party and was strongly opposed to the

of Mississippi in 1861. Throughout the Civil War, he remained a staunch Unionist and, according to one source, was "tolerated by his

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

neighbors only because of his towering reputation as a jurist."

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 ...

Charles Clark appointed him in 1865 as a commissioner (along with

William Yerger William Yerger (November 22, 1816 – June 7, 1872) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1851 to 1853.Franklin Lafayette Riley, School History of Mississippi: For Use in Public and Private Schools' (1915), p. 380-82.Thomas H ...

) to confer on behalf of the state with President Andrew Johnson. On June 13, 1865, Johnson appointed Sharkey to be the state's provisional governor.Presidential Proclamation No. 39, 13 June 1865, , 762 Sharkey left office with the election of

Benjamin G. Humphreys Benjamin Grubb Humphreys (August 26, 1808December 20, 1882) was an American politician from Mississippi. He was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and served as List of Governors of Mississippi, Governor of Mi ...

in October. He was elected Senator in 1865 but was denied his seat by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

Death

Sharkey died in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1873. He is interred in Greenwood Cemetery in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

Legacy

Sharkey County, Mississippi Sharkey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Part of the western border is formed by the Yazoo River. According to the 2010 census, the population was 4,916, making it the second-least populous county in Mississippi. ...

, located in the Mississippi Delta region, is named in his honor.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharkey, William L. 1798 births 1873 deaths 19th-century American politicians American consuls Governors of Mississippi Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court Mississippi Whigs People from Sumner County, Tennessee People from Warren County, Mississippi Southern Unionists in the American Civil War 19th-century American judges