George Edmund Badger

Whig Senator of North Carolina

Congresses Served

Senate Terms

January 1, 1795 (71 years old)

Birthday

January 1, 1866

Death

Served as a Whig U.S. senator and Secretary of the Navy under Presidents William Henry Harrison and John Tyler.
Attended Yale College and was a member of Brothers in Unity but did not complete his education due to financial constraints.
Admitted to the bar in 1814 and practiced law in North Carolina.
Initially supported Andrew Jackson but became a leader of the Whig party in the mid-1830s.
As Secretary of the Navy, worked to strengthen the Navy, established the U.S. Home Squadron, and showed interest in steamships.
Resigned from the cabinet in 1841 due to disagreements over the creation of a new national bank.
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1846, served until 1855, and supported the Compromise of 1850.
Nominated for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1853, but the nomination was tabled by the Senate and withdrawn.
Wealth increased significantly over his political career, owning an estimated worth of $145,000 by 1860 and enslaving twenty people.
Supported the Union during the secession crisis but later supported the Confederate war effort.
Died in 1866 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Honored posthumously with two Navy ships and a Liberty ship named after him.
Related to naval officers Oscar C. Badger, Charles J. Badger, and Oscar C. Badger II.