Aaron Venable Brown | |
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17th United States Postmaster General | |
In office March 6, 1857 – March 8, 1859 |
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President | James Buchanan |
Preceded by | James Campbell |
Succeeded by | Joseph Holt |
11th Governor of Tennessee | |
In office October 14, 1845 – October 17, 1847 |
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Preceded by | James C. Jones |
Succeeded by | Neill S. Brown |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th district |
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In office March 4, 1843 – March 4, 1845 |
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Preceded by | William B. Campbell |
Succeeded by | Barclay Martin |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 10th district | |
In office March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843 |
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Preceded by | Ebenezer J. Shields |
Succeeded by | John B. Ashe |
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives | |
In office 1831–1835 |
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Member of the Tennessee Senate | |
In office 1821–1825 1827–1829 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Brunswick County, Virginia, United States |
August 15, 1795
Died | March 8, 1859 Washington, D.C., United States |
(aged 63)
Resting place |
Mount Olivet Cemetery Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Sarah Burrus (d. 1844) Cynthia Pillow Sanders (1845–1859) |
Relations | Gideon Pillow (brother-in-law) |
Residence | Pulaski, Tennessee, United States |
Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Profession | Attorney |
Aaron Venable Brown (August 15, 1795 – March 8, 1859) was an American politician. He served as Governor of Tennessee from 1845 to 1847, and as United States Postmaster General from 1857 until his death in 1859. He also served three terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1839 to 1845. During the Mexican-American War, Brown's statewide call for 2,800 volunteers was answered by over 30,000, helping solidify the state's reputation as the "Volunteer State."
Brown was born in Brunswick County, Virginia, one of eleven children of Aaron and Elizabeth Melton Brown. His father was a Methodist minister. Brown attended Westrayville Academy in Nash County, North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1814, where he was valedictorian of his class. He studied law with Judge James Trimble in Nashville, Tennessee, and was admitted to the bar in 1817. In 1818, he moved to Giles County, Tennessee, and became the law partner of future president James K. Polk.
Brown was a member of the Tennessee Senate from 1821 to 1825 and from 1827 to 1829. He also served two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives, from 1831 to 1835. In 1839, he defeated incumbent Ebenezer J. Shields for the 10th District congressional seat, and won reelection to this seat in 1841. In 1843, he was redistricted to the 6th District, which he represented in Congress for a single term. As a congressman, he lobbied for the annexation of Texas in 1843.