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Orville Hickman Browning

Republican Senator of Illinois

  • Senator

    Illinois

    July 4, 1861 - January 12, 1863

2

Congresses Served

1

Senate Terms

January 1, 1806 (75 years old)

Birthday

January 1, 1881

Death

  • American politician and attorney active in the Whig and Republican Parties.
  • Served as a U.S. Senator and the 9th United States Secretary of the Interior.
  • Born in Kentucky and trained as a lawyer; settled in Illinois.
  • Participated in the Black Hawk War as a militia member.
  • Held positions in the Illinois State Senate and House of Representatives.
  • Involved in the formation of the Republican Party in Illinois in the mid-1850s.
  • Appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1861 to fill a vacancy and served until 1863.
  • Served as chairman of the Committee on Enrolled Bills during his Senate term.
  • Appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Andrew Johnson in 1866, serving until 1869.
  • Briefly served as interim U.S. Attorney General in 1868.
  • Continued practicing law after leaving office, including work as a lobbyist.
  • Elected as a Democratic delegate to the Illinois constitutional convention in 1869-1870.
  • Died in 1881 and was buried in Quincy, Illinois.