William Pennington

Infobox Officeholder
name =William Pennington

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imagesize =200px
small

caption =
order =27th
office =Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
term_start =February 1, 1860
term_end =March 4, 1861
president =James Buchanan
Abraham Lincoln
predecessor =James L. Orr
successor =Galusha A. Grow
order2 =Member of U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 5th district
term_start2 =March 4, 1859
term_end2 =March 3, 1861
predecessor2 =Jacob R. Wortendyke
successor2 =Nehemiah Perry
order3 =13th Governor of New Jersey
term_start3 =October 27, 1837
term_end3 =October 27, 1843
predecessor3 =Philemon Dickerson
successor3 =Daniel Haines
birth_date =May 4, 1796
birth_place =Newark, New Jersey
death_date =February 16, 1862 (aged 65)
death_place =Newark, New Jersey
nationality =
party =Republican
otherparty =
spouse =
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =Princeton College
occupation =
profession =Law
net worth =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

William Pennington (May 4, 1796ndash February 16, 1862) was an American Whig Party and early Democratic-Republican Party politician and lawyer, the 13th Governor of New Jersey, and Speaker of the House during his one term in Congress.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, he graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1813 and then studied law with Theodore Frelinghuysen. He was admitted to the bar in 1817 and served as a clerk of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (where his father was a judge) from 1817 to 1826.

As a member of the Whig party, he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1828, and then was elected Governor of New Jersey annually from 1837 to 1843. His tenure as governor was marked by the "Broad Seal War" controversy. Following a disputed election for Congressional Representatives in New Jersey, Pennington certified the election of five Whig candidates while five Democrats were certified by the Democratic Secretary of State. After a lengthy dispute, the Democrats were eventually seated.

He was appointed Governor of Minnesota Territory by President Millard Fillmore, but declined to accept the position.

He was elected as a Republican to the 36th Congress to represent New Jersey's 5th congressional district. During his first (and only) term, he was elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives after months where the House was unable to decide on a candidate (the Republicans had a plurality, but not a majority, and the Southern Oppositionists who held the balance of power were unwilling to support either a radical Republican or a Democrat). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1860 to the 37th Congress.

He died in Newark and was interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark.

See also

*List of Governors of New Jersey

References

*CongBio|P000214
* [http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Digital_Collections/Governors_of_New_Jersey/GPEN2.pdf New Jersey Historical Commission biography for William Pennington]
* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=b43843f4c9549010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD New Jersey Governor William Pennington] , National Governors Association
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/pennington.html#R9M0J97A2 William Pennington biography] from The Political Graveyard
*cite encyclopedia
title=William Pennington
encyclopedia=Webster's American Biographies
publisher=G. & C. Merriam Company
date=1975