Hancock Lee Jackson

Hancock Lee Jackson
13th Governor of Missouri
In office
February 27, 1857 – October 22, 1857
LieutenantVacant
Preceded byTrusten Polk
Succeeded byRobert Marcellus Stewart
10th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri
In office
January 5, 1857 – February 27, 1857
GovernorTrusten Polk
Preceded byWilson Brown
Succeeded byVacant
In office
October 22, 1857 – January 3, 1861
GovernorRobert Marcellus Stewart
Preceded byVacant
Succeeded byThomas Caute Reynolds
Member of the Missouri Senate
In office
1851–1855
Personal details
Born(1796-05-12)May 12, 1796
DiedMarch 19, 1876(1876-03-19) (aged 79)
Resting placeSalem Pioneer Cemetery
PartyDemocratic
Children11
ProfessionFarmer, politician

Hancock Lee Jackson (May 12, 1796 – March 19, 1876) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 13th Governor of Missouri in 1857, and as Lieutenant Governor of Missouri in 1857, and from 1857 to 1861.

Biography

Jackson was born on May 12, 1796, in Madison County, Kentucky, to John Jackson and Mary Forrest (née Hancock) Jackson.[1] He was part of a large politicial family, with The Political Graveyard naming him a member of the "Breathitt-Sappington-Jackson family" of Kentucky and Missouri.[1]

Jackson was educated at public schools in Madison County.[2] On March 8, 1821, he married Ursula Oldham;[1] they had eleven children together.[3] Jackson and his wife moved to Missouri in 1821,[2][4] living in Howard County until 1822, moving to then-unincorporated Randolph County. A Democrat, he served two terms as sherriff of Randolph County, beginning in 1829.[4] He was a delegate to the 1845 Missouri Constitutional Convention. During the Mexican–American War, he served as a captain of the 2nd Regiment of Missouri Mounted Volunteers.[5]

After the war, Jackson returned to Missouri and was a member of the Missouri Senate from 1851 to 1855. He was Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from January 5 to February 27, 1857, under Trusten Polk. Following Polk's resignation as Governor to join the United States Senate, Jackson assume the position and served from February 27 to October 22, 1857. He was succeeded by Robert Marcellus Stewart, who he served as Lieutenant Governor under, from October 22, 1857, to January 3, 1861. He ran for Governor in 1860, losing to Claiborne Fox Jackson.[2] Politically, he supported states' rights and the Confederate States of America in their secession.[4]

After serving as Lieutenant Governor, Jackson was a member of the United States Marshals Service and headed the Western District of Missouri, from 1860 to until his resignation in 1861, following the election of President Abraham Lincoln. Afterward, he lived in Salem, Oregon. He died on March 19, 1876, aged 79, in Salem, and is buried in the Salem Pioneer Cemetery.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Jackson, G to I". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  2. ^ a b c d "Hancock Lee Jackson". National Governors Association. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  3. ^ a b "Hancock Lee Jackson, 1857". Missouri State Archives. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Christensen, Lawrence O.; Foley, William E.; Kremer, Gary (October 1999). Dictionary of Missouri Biography. University of Missouri Press. pp. 426, 427. ISBN 978-0-8262-6016-1.
  5. ^ "Obit Hancock Lee Jackson". The Current Local. 1929-03-21. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-02-07.