Charles P. Bush was a politician from the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

.

Biography

Bush was born in Ithaca, New York

Ithaca, New York

The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...

 and moved to Michigan in 1836, becoming one of the first residents of Handy

Handy Township, Michigan

Handy Township is a civil township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,004 at the 2000 census.-Local government:Township Supervisor: Dr...

.

He was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1840 and served until 1843. In 1844, he was a Presidential elector for Michigan, voting for James K. Polk

James K. Polk

James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...

, who became U. S. President. In 1846, he was elected to the Michigan Senate

Michigan Senate

The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....

 and the following year served as President pro tempore of the State Senate. In 1847, when Governor Alpheus Felch

Alpheus Felch

Alpheus Felch was the fifth Governor of Michigan and U.S. Senator from Michigan.-Early life:Felch was born in Limerick, Maine. He was left an orphan at the age of three and lived with his grandfather Abijah Felch, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War...

 resigned to serve in the U. S. Senate, Bush became the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Michigan

Lieutenant Governor of Michigan

The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...

 under William L. Greenly

William L. Greenly

William L. Greenly was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan serving as the sixth Governor of Michigan.-Early life in New York:Greenly was born in Hamilton, New York...

 from March 4, 1847 – January 3, 1848. In 1847, he also cast the deciding vote to move the state capital from Detroit to Lansing

Lansing, Michigan

Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...

.

Bush soon moved to Lansing and was elected to the state constitutional convention in 1850. Two years later he was a delegate to the 1852 Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

, which nominated Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...

 for U. S. President. In 1855 he was elected as state senator from Shiawassee

Shiawassee County, Michigan

-Transportation:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,687 people, 26,896 households, and 19,849 families residing in the county. The population density was 133 people per square mile . There were 29,087 housing units at an average density of 54 per square mile...

 and Ingham

Ingham County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 279,320 people, 108,593 households, and 63,744 families residing in the county. The population density was 500 people per square mile . There were 115,056 housing units at an average density of 206 per square mile...

 counties. He drafted the bill which abolished capital punishment

Capital punishment

Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...

 in Michigan.

Bush was a successful business man with a 1700 acres (6.9 km²) farm in Livingston County

Livingston County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 156,951 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 276 people per square mile . There were 58,919 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...

was considered one of the best in the state. He was also considered an effective and forcible speaker.

He died in Lansing at approximately 47 years of age after suffering years of illness.