Arthur P. Bagby

Arthur Pendleton Bagby (1794 – September 21, 1858) was the tenth governor of Alabama from 1837 to 1841. He was a Democrat.

Biography

Born in Louisa County, Virginia, in 1794, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1819, practicing in Claiborne, Alabama.

Political career

State House and Senate

He was a member of the Alabama State House of Representatives in 1821, 1822, 1824, and 1834–1836, serving as the youngest-ever speaker in 1822 and 1836, and he served in the Alabama State Senate in 1825.

Panic of 1837 and Governorship

During Bagby's administration, the country was plagued by economic depression due to the Panic of 1837. Bagby introduced measures to assist the state banks, but the state legislature rejected most measures. All the state banks were closed by Bagby's successor, Governor Benjamin Fitzpatrick.

US Senate

He served in the U.S. Senate from November 21, 1841, when he was elected to fill the vacancy caused by Clement C. Clay's resignation, to June 16, 1848.

During his time in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Territories, and the Committee on Indian Affairs, and a member of the Committee on Claims. As a Senator, he supported the annexation of Texas.

Minister of Russia

He then resigned to become Minister to Russia from 1848 to 1849.

Personal life

Bagby's first wife, Emily Steele of Georgia, died in 1825 and is buried in Claiborne, Alabama. Bagby died in 1858 in Mobile, Alabama and he was interred in Magnolia Cemetery.