William Pennington

For other people named William Pennington, see William Pennington (disambiguation).

William Pennington
23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office February 1, 1860 – March 3, 1861
Preceded by	James L. Orr
Succeeded by	Galusha A. Grow
Leader of the House Republican Conference
In office February 1, 1860 – March 3, 1861
Preceded by	Office Established
Succeeded by	Galusha A. Grow
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 5th district
In office March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861
Preceded by	Jacob R. Wortendyke
Succeeded by	Nehemiah Perry
13th Governor of New Jersey
In office October 27, 1837 – October 27, 1843
Preceded by	Philemon Dickerson
Succeeded by	Daniel Haines
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
In office 1828
Personal details
Born	(1796-05-04)May 4, 1796 Newark, New Jersey
Died	February 16, 1862(1862-02-16) (aged 65) Newark, New Jersey
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Princeton College
Profession	Law
Signature

William Pennington (May 4, 1796 – February 16, 1862) was an American politician and lawyer. He was the 13th governor of New Jersey from 1837 to 1843. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives, during which he served as Speaker of the House from 1860 to 1861.

Early life and education

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. His father, William Sanford Pennington was a Revolutionary War veteran and was himself Governor of New Jersey from 1813 to 1815 before President Madison appointed him as a federal judge.

Governor of New Jersey

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.

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

In November 1858, Pennington was elected as a Republican to represent New Jersey's 5th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 36th Congress but only after a protracted election for speaker of the House of Representatives lasting 44 ballots over eight weeks (December 5, 1859, to February 1, 1860). It was the second time since 1789 that the House elected a freshman congressman as its speaker (after Henry Clay in 1811); the feat has not been repeated since.

In March 1861, he penned his name on the Corwin Amendment, a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution shielding state "domestic institutions" (a euphemism for slavery) from future constitutional amendments and from abolition or interference by Congress. Submitted to the states for ratification shortly before the outbreak of the American Civil War, it was not ratified by the requisite number of states.

Death

After running unsuccessfully for reelection in 1860 to the 37th Congress, he returned to New Jersey, dying in Newark of an unintentional morphine overdose. He was interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark.

See also

• List of governors of New Jersey

Sources

• United States Congress. "William Pennington (id: P000214)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• New Jersey Historical Commission biography for William Pennington
• New Jersey Governor William Pennington, National Governors Association
• William Pennington biography from The Political Graveyard
• "William Pennington". Webster's American Biographies. G. & C. Merriam Company. 1975.