Name George Badger | Party Whig Party Role Former U.S. senator | |
 | ||
President William Henry HarrisonJohn Tyler Spouse(s) Rebecca Turner (1818–1824)Mary Polk (1826–1834)Delia Haywood Williams (1836–1866 (his death)) Education Yale College, Yale University | ||
Previous office Senator (NC) 1846–1855 | ||
George Edmund Badger (April 17, 1795 – May 11, 1866) was a Whig U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina.
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Early life
Badger was born on April 17, 1795 in New Bern, North Carolina. Following a partial college education at Yale College, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1814.
Career
Badger practiced law in North Carolina, was active in state politics, and served as a state superior court judge. A supporter of Andrew Jackson from the 1820s, he separated with him in the mid-1830s, became a leader of the Whig party and helped carry the Whigs to victory in the 1840 Presidential election.
Upon taking office, President William Henry Harrison appointed Badger as his Secretary of the Navy, and he continued in that post for a few months (until September 1841, when he resigned to resume private practice) when John Tyler succeeded to the Presidency upon Harrison's death (April 1841). Badger's brief term as Secretary was marked by efforts to strengthen the Navy in the face of tension with Great Britain, the establishment of the U.S. Home Squadron, and growing interest in steamships.
Badger resigned in September 1841, during a general cabinet shakeup. He was elected to the Senate in 1846 to fill the unexpired term of William Henry Haywood, Jr. and remained a Senator until 1855, after choosing not to run for re-election. He was nominated by President Millard Fillmore as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1853, but was not confirmed by the Senate (John Archibald Campbell got the position). He was a Unionist during the secession crisis but thereafter supported the Confederate war effort.
Death and legacy
Badger died in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1866.
Two Navy ships have been named in honor of Senator Badger: USS George E. Badger (DD-196), and USS Badger (FF-1071). A Liberty ship, the SS George E. Badger, also was named in his honor. Badger was a cousin of naval officers Oscar C. Badger, Charles J. Badger and Oscar C. Badger II.