All Topics  
Lewis Cass

 
Lewis Cass

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Lewis Cass
 
 
  Topics Lewis Cass Topic Home

Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782 – June 17, 1866) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 military officer and politician
Politician

A politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of politics or a person who influences the way a society is governed....
. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory

Michigan Territory was an organized territory of the United States in the early 19th century, between June 30, 1805 and January 26, 1837, at which point it became Michigan, the 26th U.S....
, an American ambassador, and a U.S. Senator
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 representing Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He was the nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 in 1848.

was born in Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire

Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,058 at the 2000 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood, New Hampshire....
, where he attended Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy

Phillips Exeter Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school for grades 9?12 and postgraduates, located on in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States, north of Boston....
. His parents were Major Jonathan Cass and Molly Gilman. In 1800 he moved with his family to Marietta
Marietta, Ohio

Marietta is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio. The municipality is located in southeastern Ohio along the Ohio River....
, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Lewis Cass'
Start a new discussion about 'Lewis Cass'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782 – June 17, 1866) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 military officer and politician
Politician

A politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of politics or a person who influences the way a society is governed....
. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory

Michigan Territory was an organized territory of the United States in the early 19th century, between June 30, 1805 and January 26, 1837, at which point it became Michigan, the 26th U.S....
, an American ambassador, and a U.S. Senator
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 representing Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He was the nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 in 1848.

Early life

Cass was born in Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire

Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,058 at the 2000 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood, New Hampshire....
, where he attended Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy

Phillips Exeter Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school for grades 9?12 and postgraduates, located on in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States, north of Boston....
. His parents were Major Jonathan Cass and Molly Gilman. In 1800 he moved with his family to Marietta
Marietta, Ohio

Marietta is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio. The municipality is located in southeastern Ohio along the Ohio River....
, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
. On May 26, 1806, he married the former Elizabeth Spencer.

Territorial governor

During the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
, Cass served as a brigadier general and participated in the Battle of the Thames
Battle of the Thames

The Battle of the Thames, also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was a decisive United States victory in the War of 1812. It took place on October 5, 1813, near present-day Chatham, Ontario in Upper Canada....
. As a reward for his service, he was appointed Governor of the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory

Michigan Territory was an organized territory of the United States in the early 19th century, between June 30, 1805 and January 26, 1837, at which point it became Michigan, the 26th U.S....
 by President James Madison
James Madison

James Madison was an American politician and political philosopher who served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States....
 on October 29, 1813, and served until 1831. He was frequently absent, and several territorial secretaries often served as acting governor in his place.

In 1817, he was one of two commissioners (along with Duncan McArthur
Duncan McArthur

Duncan McArthur was a United States Federalist Party and United States National Republican Party politician from Ohio. He served as the 11th List of Governors of Ohio....
) who negotiated the Treaty of Fort Meigs
Treaty of Fort Meigs

The Treaty of Fort Meigs, also called the Treaty of the Foot of the Rapids, was signed September 29, 1817 between the chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot, Seneca tribe, Lenape, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Odawa people and Chippewa, tribes of native Americans and the United States, represented by Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur....
, which was signed September 29 of that year with several Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 tribes.

In 1820, he led an expedition
Lewis Cass expedition

The Lewis Cass expedition of 1820 was a survey of the western part of Michigan Territory led by Lewis Cass, governor of the territory. On January 14,1820, United States Secretary of War John C....
 to the northern part of the territory, in the northern Great Lakes
Great Lakes

The St. Lawrence River Great Lakes are a chain of fresh water lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada ? United States border. Consisting of Lakes Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth....
 region in present-day northern Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
, in order to map the region and discover the source of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. The source of the river had been unknown until then, resulting in an undefined border between the United States and British North America
British North America

British North America consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of United States ....
. The expedition erroneously identified Cass Lake
Cass Lake (Minnesota)

Cass Lake is a glacier-formed lake, approximately 25 sq mi in north central Minnesota in the United States. It is approximately 10 mi long and 7 mi wide, located in Cass County, Minnesota and Beltrami County, Minnesota counties, within the Chippewa National Forest and the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, approximately 13 mi east of Bemidji...
 as the source of the river. The source of the river was correctly identified in 1832 by Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Schoolcraft

Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an United States geography, geologist, and ethnology, noted for his early studies of Native Americans in the United States cultures, as well as for his discovery in 1832 of the source of the Mississippi River....
, who had been Cass's expedition geologist, as nearby Lake Itasca
Lake Itasca

Lake Itasca is a small glacial lake, approximately 1.8 square miles in area, in the Lake District of northwestern Minnesota in the United States....
.

Later political career

On August 1, 1831, Cass resigned as governor of the Michigan Territory to take the post of Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War

File:Swearing in of Secretary Dwight Davis.jpgThe Secretary of War was a member of the United States President of the United States United States Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration....
 under President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . He was List of governors of Florida of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy....
, a position he would hold until 1836. Cass was a central figure in formulating and implementing the Indian removal
Indian Removal

Indian Removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to Ethnic cleansing Native Americans in the United States tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river....
 policy of the Jackson administration. Next, Cass was appointed ambassador to France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, which he remained until 1842.

Cass represented Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
 in the United States Senate
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 from 1845 to 1848. He served as chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs in the 30th Congress
30th United States Congress

The Thirtieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
. In 1848, he resigned from the Senate to run for President. William Orlando Butler
William Orlando Butler

William Orlando Butler was a United States political figure and U.S. Army major general from Kentucky. He served as a Democratic Party congressman from Kentucky from 1839 to 1843, and was the Democratic Vice President of the United States nominee under Lewis Cass in U.S....
 was his running mate. Cass was a leading supporter of the Doctrine of Popular Sovereignty, which held that the people who lived in a territory should decide whether or not to permit slavery
Slavery

Slavery is a form of forced labor where a person is compelled to Labor for another . Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase, or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive Remuneration in return for their labor....
 there. His nomination caused a split in the Democratic party, leading many antislavery Democrats to join the Free Soil Party. He also supported the annexation of Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
.

After losing the election to Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor was an Military of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States.Known as "Old Rough and Ready", Taylor had a 40-year military career in the United States Army, serving in the War of 1812, Black Hawk War, and Seminole Wars before achieving fame leading U.S....
, he returned to the Senate, serving from 1849 to 1857. He was the first non-incumbent Democratic presidential candidate
List of United States Democratic Party presidential tickets

This is a list of the candidates for the offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States of the modern Democratic Party of the United States....
 to lose an election.

From 1857 to 1860, Cass served as Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State

The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's United States Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in United States presidential line of succession and United States order of precedence....
 under President James Buchanan
James Buchanan

James Buchanan, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the last to be born in the 18th century....
. He was sympathetic to American filibusterers
Filibuster (military)

A filibuster is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution. The term is usually used to describe United States citizens who attempted to foment insurrections in Latin America in the mid-19th century....
 and was instrumental in having Commodore Hiram Paulding
Hiram Paulding

Hiram Paulding was a Rear admiral in the United States Navy, who served from the War of 1812 until after the American Civil War.The son of John Paulding, Paulding was born in Cortland, New York....
 removed from command for his landing of Marines in Nicaragua
Nicaragua

Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democracy republic. It is the largest state in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, about the size of the state of New York....
 and compelling the removal of William Walker
William Walker (soldier)

William Walker worked closely with various forces associated with the Texas Rangers.William Walker was an United States filibuster and adventurer who attempted to conquer several Latin American countries in the mid-19th century....
 to the United States. Cass resigned on December 13, 1860, because of Buchanan's failure to protect federal interests in the South and failure to mobilize the federal military, actions that might have averted the threatened secession of Southern states.

Cass died in 1866 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)

Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan is one of Michigan's most important historic cemeteries. Located at 1200 Elmwood Street on Detroit's east side, Elmwood is the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan....
 in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Wayne County, Michigan. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwestern United States of the United States....
.

His great-great grandson Cass Ballenger
Cass Ballenger

Thomas Cass Ballenger is an United States politician. A Republican Party , he represented North Carolina's North Carolina's 10th congressional district , centered in North Carolina's foothills, in the United States House of Representatives from 1986 to 2005....
 was a U.S. Representative from North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
.

Commemoration

  • A statue of Cass is one of the two that were submitted by Michigan to the National Statuary Hall
    National Statuary Hall

    National Statuary Hall is a chamber in the United States Capitol devoted to sculptures of prominent United States. The hall, also known as the Old Hall of the House, is a large, two-story, semicircular room with a second story gallery along the curved perimeter....
     collection in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It stands in the National Statuary Hall room. (The other statue is of Zachariah Chandler
    Zachariah Chandler

    Zachariah Chandler was List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan of Detroit, Michigan , a four-term United States Senate from the U.S. state of Michigan , and United States Secretary of the Interior under President of the United States Ulysses S....
    , which is in the Hall of Columns. The Chandler statue will eventually be replaced by a statue of President Gerald Ford
    Gerald Ford

    Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974....
    .)
  • The Liberty ship
    Liberty ship

    Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S....
     S.S. Lewis Cass
Also Cass Technical High School in Detroit,Mi is named after the late Lewis Cass.

See also

  • List of places named for Lewis Cass
    List of places named for Lewis Cass

    This is a list of places in the United States named for Lewis Cass:...
  • Origins of the American Civil War
    Origins of the American Civil War

    The main explanation for the origins of the American Civil War is Slavery in the United States, especially the issue of the expansion of slavery into the Territories of the United States....