Lewis Cass

Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer and politician. He represented Michigan in the Senate and was in the Cabinets of two presidents: Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He was also the  Democratic presidential nominee in 1848.

He was an important person for the idea of popular sovereignty in which  the people in each territory should decide whether to allow slavery in it.

Life
Lewis Cass was born in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Career
In 1806, Cass was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. Also in 1806, President Thomas Jefferson chose Cass to be the U.S. Marshal for Ohio.

Secretary of War
On August 1, 1831, Cass quit being governor of the Michigan Territory to be the Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson. He would be in that post until 1836.

References

Category:1782 births
Category:1866 deaths
Category:19th-century American politicians
Category:United States senators from Michigan
Category:United States Secretaries of War