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Aaron Venable Brown
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| In office March 6, 1857 – March 8, 1859 |
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| Preceded by | James Campbell |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Holt |
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| Born | August 15, 1795 Brunswick County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | March 8, 1859 (aged 63) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
Aaron Venable Brown (August 15, 1795 – March 8, 1859) was a Governor of Tennessee and Postmaster General in the Buchanan administration. He was also the law partner of James K. Polk.
Brown was a native of Virginia, but a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was valedictorian of the class of 1814. He later entered into the practice of law with James K. Polk. He was a member of the Tennessee State Senate from 1821 to 1827 and of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1831 to 1835, and a member of the United States House of Representatives for three terms, 1839 to 1845. He won the Democratic nomination for governor in 1845 and was elected.
When the Mexican-American War began, largely through the actions of his old friend Polk, who was now President, Brown issued a call for 2,600 volunteers. When approximately 30,000 men answered this call, Tennessee's reputation as the Volunteer State was forever secured.
Like his friend Polk, Brown was also defeated for re-election as governor of Tennessee. He did not participate further in statewide elected politics, but was selected as a delegate to the Nashville Convention of 1850 held at Nashville's Maxwell House Hotel. This is probably the first place in Southern history where secession was ever openly and seriously discussed outside of South Carolina. Some historians credit the pressure that it instigated as helping to lead to the Compromise of 1850. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1852 where Franklin Pierce and William R. King were nominated. Brown was subsequently rewarded for his service as a loyal Democrat by being appointed Postmaster General and was still holding this office at the time of his death. He is buried in Nashville's Mt. Olivet Cemetery. His speeches were published in Nashville (1854). [1]
External links
- Aaron V. Brown at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Aaron V. Brown at Find A Grave
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by James C. Jones |
Governor of Tennessee 1845 – 1847 |
Succeeded by Neill S. Brown |
| Preceded by James Campbell |
United States Postmaster General March 6, 1857 – March 8, 1859 |
Succeeded by Joseph Holt |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Ebenezer J. Shields |
Member from Tennessee's 10th congressional district March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843 |
Succeeded by John B. Ashe |
| Preceded by William B. Campbell |
Member from Tennessee's 6th congressional district March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 |
Succeeded by Barclay Martin |
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