He served briefly in 1832 as a circuit court judge before being elected to the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi (today the Supreme Court of Mississippi), where he sat as a justice for 18 years until his resignation in 1851.
Sharkey was appointed Secretary of War by then-President Millard Fillmore; however, he declined the position. He did accept an appointment as statesman, and from 1851 to 1854, he served as consul in Havana, Cuba.[1] While he was serving as Consul, he swore in William R. King as Vice President of the United States on March 24, 1853. This, which was permitted by a special Act of Congress passed on March 2, was, to date, the only occasion that an American vice presidential oath of office or presidential oath of office has been administered on foreign soil. King, who was suffering from tuberculosis, would die on April 18 two days after he arrived at his home in Alabama.[2]
A member of the Whig Party, Sharkey was vehemently opposed to the secession of Mississippi in 1861. Throughout the Civil War, he remained a staunch Southern Unionist and, according to one source, was "tolerated by his Confederate neighbors only because of his towering reputation as a jurist."
GovernorCharles Clark appointed him in 1865 as a commissioner (along with William Yerger) to confer on behalf of the state with President Andrew Johnson. On June 13, 1865, Johnson appointed Sharkey the state's provisional governor.[3] Sharkey left office with the election of Benjamin G. Humphreys in October.
He was elected Senator in 1865 but was denied his seat by Congress.
Accompanying Document No. 25 and Accompanying Document No. 42 to “Report of Carl Schurz on the States of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana,” 1865.
william, sharkey, william, lewis, sharkey, july, 1798, march, 1873, american, judge, politician, from, mississippi, staunch, unionist, during, american, civil, opposed, 1861, declared, secession, mississippi, from, united, states, after, president, andrew, joh. William Lewis Sharkey July 12 1798 March 30 1873 was an American judge and politician from Mississippi A staunch Unionist during the American Civil War he opposed the 1861 declared secession of Mississippi from the United States After the end of the war President Andrew Johnson appointed Sharkey as provisional governor of Mississippi in 1865 William L Sharkey25th Governor of MississippiIn office June 13 1865 October 16 1865Preceded byCharles ClarkSucceeded byBenjamin G HumphreysPersonal detailsBornJuly 12 1798Sumner County Tennessee U S DiedMarch 30 1873 aged 74 Washington D C U S Political partyWhigSignature Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Career 1 3 Death 2 Legacy 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksBiography editEarly life edit William Lewis Sharkey was born on July 12 1798 in Sumner County Tennessee When he was six he moved with his family in 1804 to Warren County Mississippi He was likely privately educated and read the law as an apprentice with an established firm In 1822 he was admitted to the bar in Natchez Mississippi Career edit In 1825 Sharkey moved to Vicksburg He was later elected for a single term in the Mississippi House of Representatives where he served from 1828 to 1829 He served briefly in 1832 as a circuit court judge before being elected to the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi today the Supreme Court of Mississippi where he sat as a justice for 18 years until his resignation in 1851 Sharkey was appointed Secretary of War by then President Millard Fillmore however he declined the position He did accept an appointment as statesman and from 1851 to 1854 he served as consul in Havana Cuba 1 While he was serving as Consul he swore in William R King as Vice President of the United States on March 24 1853 This which was permitted by a special Act of Congress passed on March 2 was to date the only occasion that an American vice presidential oath of office or presidential oath of office has been administered on foreign soil King who was suffering from tuberculosis would die on April 18 two days after he arrived at his home in Alabama 2 A member of the Whig Party Sharkey was vehemently opposed to the secession of Mississippi in 1861 Throughout the Civil War he remained a staunch Southern Unionist and according to one source was tolerated by his Confederate neighbors only because of his towering reputation as a jurist Governor Charles Clark appointed him in 1865 as a commissioner along with William Yerger to confer on behalf of the state with President Andrew Johnson On June 13 1865 Johnson appointed Sharkey the state s provisional governor 3 Sharkey left office with the election of Benjamin G Humphreys in October He was elected Senator in 1865 but was denied his seat by Congress Death edit Sharkey died in Washington D C in 1873 He is interred in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson Mississippi Legacy editSharkey County Mississippi located in the Mississippi Delta region is named in his honor See also editHinds v Brazealle List of justices of the Supreme Court of MississippiReferences edit National Governors Association William Lewis Sharkey William de Vane Rufus King Presidential Proclamation No 39 13 June 1865 13 Stat 761 762External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Sharkey William L Sharkey at Find a Grave nbsp Accompanying Document No 25 and Accompanying Document No 42 to Report of Carl Schurz on the States of South Carolina Georgia Alabama Mississippi and Louisiana 1865 Political officesPreceded byCharles Clark Governor of Mississippi1865 Succeeded byBenjamin G HumphreysPreceded byEdward Turner Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi1832 1851 Succeeded byCollin S Tarpley appointed William Yerger elected Portals nbsp American Civil War nbsp Biography nbsp Law nbsp Mississippi nbsp Politics Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William L Sharkey amp oldid 1189364070, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
