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1844 in the United States
Last updated
September 25, 2025
Contents
Incumbents
Federal government
Governors
Lieutenant government
Events
Births
Deaths
See also
References
External links
←
1843
1842
1841
1844
in
the United States
→
1845
1846
1847
Decades:
1820s
1830s
1840s
1850s
1860s
See also:
History of the United States (1789–1849)
Timeline of the history of the United States (1820-1859)
List of years in the United States
1844 in the United States
1844 in U.S. states
States
Alabama
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia
Washington, D.C.
List of years in the United States by state or territory
v
t
e
Map of
Indian Territory
in 1844
Events from the year
1844 in the United States
.
Incumbents
Federal government
President
:
John Tyler
(
I
-
Virginia
)
Vice President
:
vacant
Chief Justice
:
Roger B. Taney
(
Maryland
)
Speaker of the House of Representatives
:
John Winston Jones
(
D
-
Virginia
)
Congress
:
28th
Governors
and
lieutenant governors
Governors
Governor of Alabama
:
Benjamin Fitzpatrick
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Arkansas
:
until April 29:
Archibald Yell
(
Democratic
)
April 29-November 5:
Samuel Adams
(
Democratic
)
starting November 5:
Thomas Stevenson Drew
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Connecticut
:
Chauncey Fitch Cleveland
(
Democratic
) (until May 1),
Roger Sherman Baldwin
(
Whig
) (starting May 1)
Governor of Delaware
:
William B. Cooper
(
Whig
)
Governor of Georgia
:
George W. Crawford
(
Whig
)
Governor of Illinois
:
Thomas Ford
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Indiana
:
James Whitcomb
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Kentucky
:
Robert P. Letcher
(
Whig
) (until September 4),
William Owsley
(
Whig
) (starting September 4)
Governor of Louisiana
:
Alexandre Mouton
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Maine
:
until January 1:
Edward Kavanagh
(
Democratic
)
January 1-January 3:
David Dunn
(
Democratic
)
January 3:
John W. Dana
(
Democratic
)
starting January 3:
Hugh J. Anderson
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Maryland
:
Francis Thomas
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Massachusetts
:
Marcus Morton
(
Democratic
) (until January),
George N. Briggs
(
Democratic
) (starting January)
Governor of Michigan
:
John S. Barry
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Mississippi
:
Tilghman Tucker
(
Democratic
) (until January 10),
Albert G. Brown
(
Democratic
) (starting January 10)
Governor of Missouri
:
until February 9:
Thomas Reynolds
(
Democratic
)
February 9-November 20:
Meredith Miles Marmaduke
(
Democratic
)
starting November 20:
John C. Edwards
(
Democratic
)
Governor of New Hampshire
:
Henry Hubbard
(
Democratic
) (until June 6),
John H. Steele
(
Democratic
) (starting June 6)
Governor of New Jersey
:
Daniel Haines
(
Democratic
)
Governor of New York
:
William C. Bouck
(
Democratic
) (until end of December 31)
Governor of North Carolina
:
John Motley Morehead
(
Whig
)
Governor of Ohio
:
until April 15:
Wilson Shannon
(
Democratic
)
April 15-December 3:
Thomas W. Bartley
(
Democratic
)
starting December 3:
Mordecai Bartley
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Pennsylvania
:
David R. Porter
(
Democratic
)
Governor of Rhode Island
:
James Fenner
(
Law and Order
)
Governor of South Carolina
:
James Henry Hammond
(
Democratic
) (until December 7),
William Aiken, Jr.
(
Democratic
) (starting December 7)
Governor of Tennessee
:
James C. Jones
(
Whig
)
Governor of Vermont
:
John Mattocks
(
Whig
) (until October 11),
William Slade
(
Whig
) (starting October 11)
Governor of Virginia
:
James McDowell
(
Democratic
)
Lieutenant government
Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
:
William S. Holabird
(
Democratic
) (until May 1),
Reuben Booth
(
Whig
) (starting May 1)
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
:
John Moore
(
Democratic
)
Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
:
Jesse D. Bright
(
Democratic
)
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
:
Manlius Valerius Thomson
(political party unknown) (until September 4),
Archibald Dixon
(
Whig
) (starting September 4)
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
:
Henry H. Childs
(political party unknown) (until month and day unknown),
John Reed, Jr.
(political party unknown) (starting month and day unknown)
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
:
Origen D. Richardson
(
Whig
)
Lieutenant Governor of Missouri
:
until February 9:
Meredith Miles Marmaduke
(
Democratic
)
February 9-November 20: vacant
starting November 20:
James Young
(
Democratic
)
Lieutenant Governor of New York
:
Daniel S. Dickinson
(
Democratic
) (until end of December 31)
Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
:
Byron Diman
(political party unknown)
Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
:
Isaac Donnom Witherspoon
(
Democratic
) (until December 7),
J. F. Ervin
(
Democratic
) (starting December 7)
Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
:
Horace Eaton
(
Whig
)
Events
February 28:
USS
Princeton
disaster
January 15
–
The
University of Notre Dame
receives its charter from
Indiana
.
February 28
–
The "Peacemaker", the largest naval gun in the world, explodes during a demonstration aboard the
USS
Princeton
on the
Potomac River
, killing six, including
Secretary of State
Abel P. Upshur
and
Secretary of the Navy
Thomas Walker Gilmer
.
March 12
–
The
Columbus and Xenia Railroad
, the first railroad that is planned to be built in
Ohio
, is chartered.
May 24
–
The first
electrical telegram
is sent by
Samuel F. B. Morse
from the U.S. Capitol in
Washington, D.C.
to the B&O Railroad "outer depot" in
Baltimore, Maryland
, saying "What hath God wrought".
June
–
July
–
The
Great Flood of 1844
hits the
Missouri River
and
Mississippi River
.
June 15
–
Charles Goodyear
receives a
patent
for
vulcanization
, a process to strengthen
rubber
.
June 22
–
Influential
North American
student
fraternity
Delta Kappa Epsilon
is founded at
Yale College
.
June 27
–
Killing of Joseph Smith
:
Joseph Smith
, founder of the
Latter Day Saint movement
, and his brother
Hyrum
are killed in
Carthage Jail
,
Carthage, Illinois
by an armed mob, leading to a
succession crisis
in the movement.
John Taylor
, future president of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
, is severely injured but survives;
Willard Richards
survives with a light wound.
July 3
–
The U.S. signs the
Treaty of Wanghia
with
Qing dynasty
China, the first diplomatic agreement between the two nations in history.
July 25
–
Exclusion Law
in
Oregon
prohibits African Americans (including slaves) from entering or remaining in the territory
August 8
–
During a meeting held in
Nauvoo, Illinois
, the
Quorum of the Twelve
, headed by
Brigham Young
, is chosen as the leading body of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
.
October 22
–
The
Great Disappointment
:
Millerites
(including future members of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
) find that the
Second Coming
of
Jesus
does not occur as predicted by preacher
William Miller
.
December 4
–
U.S. presidential election, 1844
:
James K. Polk
of
Tennessee
defeats
Henry Clay
of
Kentucky
.
Undated
The first ever international
cricket
match is played in
New York City
between
Canada
and the United States.
The United American Cemetery
is founded in
Cincinnati, Ohio
.
[
1
]
Births
March 12
–
Patrick Collins
, lawyer, 37th
Mayor of Boston
and
U.S. Representatives
from
Massachusetts
(died
1905
)
April 13
–
John Surratt
, suspected involvement in the
assassination of Abraham Lincoln
, son of
Mary Surratt
(died
1916
)
April 22
–
Lewis Powell
, conspirator with
John Wilkes Booth
, attempted assassin of
William H. Seward
(died
1865
)
May 2 -
Elijah McCoy
, inventor of the automatic steam engine lubricator (died
1929
)
June 1
–
John J. Toffey
,
Medal of Honor
recipient (died
1911
)
June 3
–
Garret Hobart
, 24th
vice president of the United States
from 1897 till 1899. (died
1899
)
July 9
–
Charles D. Barney
, stockbroker (died
1945
)
August 1
–
Levi Ankeny
, United States Senator from Washington from 1903 till 1909. (died
1921
)
August 24
–
Charles B. Clark
, politician and entrepreneur (died
1891
)
October 11
–
Henry J. Heinz
, entrepreneur and founder of the
H. J. Heinz Company
(died
1919
)
Full date unknown:
Edwin H. Tomlinson
, world traveler and benefactor (died
1938
)
[
2
]
Deaths
January 13
–
Alexander Porter
, United States Senator from Louisiana from 1833 till 1837. (born
1785
)
January 25
–
Horace H. Hayden
, first licensed American
dentist
(born
1769
)
February 27
–
Nicholas Biddle
, financier, last president of the
Second Bank of the United States
(born
1786
)
February 28
–
Abel P. Upshur
,
Secretary of State
from 1843 to 1844 (born
1790
)
Thomas W. Gilmer
, fifteenth
Secretary of the Navy
(born
1802
)
March 6
–
Gabriel Duvall
,
Justice
of the
U.S. Supreme Court
from 1811 to 1835 (born
1752
)
May 18
–
Richard McCarty
, politician (born
1780
)
April 4
–
Charles Bulfinch
, architect of the
Massachusetts State House
(born
1763
)
April 21
–
Henry Baldwin
, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, 1830–1844 (born
1780
)
[
3
]
June 27
Joseph Smith Jr.
, religious leader and founder of
Mormonism
and the
Latter Day Saint movement
(born
1805
)
July 23
–
Christian Gobrecht
, third Chief Engraver of the
United States Mint
from 1840 to 1844 (born
1785
)
August 15
–
William S. Fulton
, United States Senator from Arkansas 1836 till 1844. (born
1795
)
September 14
–
Oliver Holden
, composer (born
1765
)
See also
Timeline of United States history (1820–1859)
References
↑
Grace, Kevin (2004).
Cincinnati Cemeteries: The Queen City Underground
.
Arcadia Publishing
. p.
45.
ISBN
0-7385-3348-3
.
↑
Hartzell, Scott (March 23, 2004).
"Father of Festival of States was biggest patron of city"
.
St. Petersburg Times
. Retrieved
November 26,
2012
.
↑
Hannan, Caryn (January 1, 2008).
Connecticut Biographical Dictionary
. State History Publications. pp.
59–
61.
ISBN
978-1-878592-59-0
.
External links
Media related to
1844 in the United States
at Wikimedia Commons
v
t
e
Years in the United States
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By U.S. state/territory
States
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Territories
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v
t
e
Timeline of United States history
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Outline
v
t
e
1844 in North America
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