Aaron V. Brown

Aaron Venable Brown (August 15, 1795 – March 8, 1859) was an American politician. He served as the 11th governor of Tennessee from 1845 to 1847, and as United States Postmaster General from 1857 until his death in 1859. He also served three terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1839 to 1845. During the Mexican–American War, Brown's statewide call for 2,800 volunteers was answered by over 30,000, helping solidify the state's reputation as the "Volunteer State".

Early life Brown was born in Brunswick County, Virginia, one of eleven children of Aaron and Elizabeth Melton Brown. Brown attended Westrayville Academy in Nash County, North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1814, where he was valedictorian of his class. In 1843, he was redistricted to the 6th District, which he represented in Congress for a single term. While initially popular, support for the war gradually declined, and Brown was defeated in his reelection bid by Neill S. Brown (no relation) in 1847. In 1850, He was a delegate to the Nashville Convention, which was a gathering of delegates from slave-holding states to consider a course of action should the federal government attempt to ban slavery. Brown and his brother-in-law, Gideon Pillow, coauthored a resolution calling for the support of the Compromise of 1850. This motion was voted down, but the convention did put aside, at least temporarily, the issue of secession.

Brown died on March 8, 1859, and is interred at Nashville's Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Family Brown married his first wife, Sarah Burrus, at an undetermined date,

Recognition USS Aaron V. Brown, a revenue cutter, was named after him.