| William C. C. Claiborne |
Article Index for William C |
Shopping C.c. |
Website Links For William |
Information AboutWilliam C. C. Claiborne |
|
William Charles Cole Claiborne ( 1775 - 23 November , 1817 ) was a United States politician, best known as the first U.S. governor of Louisiana . William C. C. Claiborne was born in Sussex County , Virginia . He studied at the College Of William And Mary , then Richmond Academy . At the age of 16 he moved to New York City , where he worked as a clerk under John Beckley , the clerk of the United States House Of Representatives , which was then seated in that city. He moved to Philadelphia with the Federal Government. He then began study of Law , and moved to Tennessee in 1794 to start a law practice. Governor John Sevier appointed Claiborne to that state's Supreme Court in 1796 . The following year he resigned to run successfully for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served in the House through 1801 when he was appointed governor of the territory of Mississippi . LOUISIANA TERRITORIAL PERIOD Claiborne moved to New Orleans and oversaw transfer of Louisiana to U.S.A. control after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 . He governed what would become the State of Louisiana, then termed the " Territory Of Orleans ", during its period as a United States Territory from 1804 through 1812 . Relations with Louisiana's Creole population were initially rather strained. He gradually gained their confidence, saw the territory take in Francophone refugees from the Haitian Revolution , and suppressed a Slave revolt in the area around La Place . After West Florida secured its independence from Spain in 1810 , Claiborne annexed the area on the orders of President Madison , who considered it part of the Louisiana Purchase . Many Anglos from other parts of the USA came to settle in Louisiana. AFTER STATEHOOD Claiborne was the first elected governor after Louisiana became a U.S. State , winning an election against Jacques Villeré , and serving from 1812 through 1816 . After his term as governor, he was elected to the United States Senate , serving from 4 April , 1817 until his death. His body was originally buried in St. Louis Cemetery # 1. This was a controversial honor; this then most prestigious of the city's cemeteries is a Roman Catholic cemetery, while Claiborne was Protestant . He was later reinterred in Metairie Cemetery . Three ; Claiborne County, Mississippi ; and Claiborne County, Tennessee . There is also a Street in New Orleans , Louisiana named in his honor: North/South Claiborne Avenue. The World War II Camp Claiborne was named for him in 1939 . |