Joseph Desha
| Joseph Desha | |
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| 9th Governor of Kentucky | |
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In office August 24, 1824 – August 26, 1828 |
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| Lieutenant | Robert B. McAfee |
| Preceded by | John Adair |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Metcalfe |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th district |
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In office March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1819 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Mentor Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Metcalfe |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th district |
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In office March 4, 1807 – March 3, 1813 |
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| Preceded by | George M. Bedinger |
| Succeeded by | Solomon P. Sharp |
| Member of the Kentucky Senate | |
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In office 1802–1807 |
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| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
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In office 1797–1798 1799–1802 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 9, 1768 Monroe County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 11, 1842 (aged 73) Georgetown, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Bledsoe |
| Children | 13 children, including Isaac B. Desha |
| Relatives | Brother of Robert Desha |
| Profession | Soldier, farmer, governor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | Kentucky militia |
| Years of service | 1793–1794 1813 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Battles/wars | Northwest Indian War, War of 1812 |
Joseph Desha (December 9, 1768 – October 11, 1842) was a U.S. Representative and the ninth governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Desha's Huguenot ancestors fled from France to Pennsylvania, where Desha was born. Eventually, Desha's family settled near present-day Gallatin, Tennessee, where they were involved in many skirmishes with the Indians. Two of Desha's brothers were killed in these encounters, motivating him to volunteer for "Mad" Anthony Wayne's campaign against the Indians during the Northwest Indian War. Having by then resettled in Mason County, Kentucky, Desha parlayed his military record into several terms in the state legislature.
In 1807, Desha was elected to the first of six consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. A Democratic-Republican, he was considered a war hawk, supporting the War of 1812. In 1813, he volunteered to serve in the war and commanded a division at the Battle of the Thames. Returning to Congress after the war, he was the only member of the Kentucky congressional delegation to oppose the unpopular Compensation Act of 1816. Nearly every other member of the delegation was defeated for reelection after the vote, but Desha's opposition to the act helped him retain his seat. He did not seek reelection in 1818, and made an unsuccessful run for governor in 1820, losing to John Adair. By 1824, the Panic of 1819 had ruined Kentucky's economy, and Desha made a second campaign for the governorship almost exclusively on promises of relief for the state's large debtor class. He was elected by a large majority, and debt relief partisans captured both houses of the General Assembly. After the Kentucky Court of Appeals overturned debt relief laws favored by Desha and the majority of the legislature, the legislators abolished the court and created a replacement court, to which Desha appointed several debt relief partisans. The existing court refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the move, and during a period known as the Old Court – New Court controversy, two courts of last resort existed in the state.
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