Arthur P. Bagby

For his son, see Arthur P. Bagby Jr.

Arthur Pendleton Bagby (1794 – September 21, 1858) was the tenth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1837 to 1841.^[1]

Arthur Pendleton Bagby
U.S. Minister to Russia
In office January 14, 1849 – May 14, 1849
President	James K. Polk Zachary Taylor
Preceded by	Ralph I. Ingersoll
Succeeded by	Neill S. Brown
United States Senator from Alabama
In office November 24, 1841 – June 16, 1848
Preceded by	Clement Comer Clay
Succeeded by	William R. King
10th Governor of Alabama
In office November 30, 1837 – November 22, 1841
Preceded by	Hugh McVay
Succeeded by	Benjamin Fitzpatrick
Member of the Alabama Senate
In office 1825
Member of the Alabama House of Representatives
In office 1821–1822 1824 1834–1836
Personal details
Born	1794 Louisa County, Virginia, US
Died	September 21, 1858 (aged 63–64) Mobile, Alabama, US
Resting place	Magnolia Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama)
Political party	Democratic

Biography

Born in Louisa County, Virginia, in 1794, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1819, practicing in Claiborne, Alabama.

Political career

State House and Senate

He was a member of the Alabama State House of Representatives in 1821, 1822, 1824, and 1834–1836, serving as the youngest-ever speaker in 1822 and 1836, and he served in the Alabama State Senate in 1825.

Panic of 1837 and Governorship

During Bagby's administration, the country was plagued by economic depression due to the Panic of 1837. Bagby introduced measures to assist the state banks, but the state legislature rejected most measures. All the state banks were closed by Bagby's successor, Governor Benjamin Fitzpatrick.^[2]

US Senate

A slaveowner, he served in the U.S. Senate from November 21, 1841, when he was elected to fill the vacancy caused by Clement C. Clay's resignation, to June 16, 1848.

During his time in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Territories, the Committee on Claims, and the Committee on Indian Affairs. As a Senator, he supported the annexation of Texas.

Minister of Russia

He then resigned to become Minister to Russia from 1848 to 1849.

Personal life

Bagby's first wife, Emily Steele of Georgia, died in 1825 and is buried in Claiborne, Alabama. Bagby died in 1858 in Mobile, Alabama, and he is interred in Magnolia Cemetery there.