1844

Events from the year **1844 in the United States**.

Governors
* Governor of Alabama: Benjamin Fitzpatrick (Democratic)
* Governor of Arkansas:
	+ until April 29: Archibald Yell (Democratic)
	+ April 29-November 5: Samuel Adams (Democratic)
	+ starting November 5: Thomas Stevenson Drew (Democratic)
* Governor of Connecticut: Chauncey Fitch Cleveland (Democratic) (until May 1), Roger Sherman Baldwin (Whig) (starting May 1)
* Governor of Delaware: William B. Cooper (Whig)
* Governor of Georgia: George W. Crawford (Whig)
* Governor of Illinois: Thomas Ford (Democratic)
* Governor of Indiana: James Whitcomb (Democratic)
* Governor of Kentucky: Robert P. Letcher (Whig) (until September 4), William Owsley (Whig) (starting September 4)
* Governor of Louisiana: Alexandre Mouton (Democratic)
* Governor of Maine:
	+ until January 1: Edward Kavanagh (Democratic)
	+ January 1-January 3: David Dunn (Democratic)
	+ January 3: John W. Dana (Democratic)
	+ starting January 3: Hugh J. Anderson (Democratic)
* Governor of Maryland: Francis Thomas (Democratic)
* Governor of Massachusetts: Marcus Morton (Democratic) (until January), George N. Briggs (Democratic) (starting January)
* Governor of Michigan: John S. Barry (Democratic)
* Governor of Mississippi: Tilghman Tucker (Democratic) (until January 10), Albert G. Brown (Democratic) (starting January 10)
* Governor of Missouri:
	+ until February 9: Thomas Reynolds (Democratic)
	+ February 9-November 20: Meredith Miles Marmaduke (Democratic)
	+ starting November 20: John C. Edwards (Democratic)
* Governor of New Hampshire: Henry Hubbard (Democratic) (until June 6), John Hardy Steele (Democratic) (starting June 6)
* Governor of New Jersey: Daniel Haines (Democratic)
* Governor of New York: William C. Bouck (Democratic)
* Governor of North Carolina: John Motley Morehead (Whig)
* Governor of Ohio:
	+ until April 15: Wilson Shannon (Democratic)
	+ April 15-December 3: Thomas W. Bartley (Democratic)
	+ starting December 3: Mordecai Bartley (Democratic)
* Governor of Pennsylvania: David R. Porter (Democratic)
* Governor of Rhode Island: James Fenner (Law and Order)
* Governor of South Carolina: James Henry Hammond (Democratic) (until December 7), William Aiken Jr. (Democratic) (starting December 7)
* Governor of Tennessee: James C. Jones (Whig)
* Governor of Vermont: John Mattocks (Whig) (until October 11), William Slade (Whig) (starting October 11)
* Governor of Virginia: James McDowell (Democratic)

Lieutenant Governors
* Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: William S. Holabird (Democratic) (until May 1), Reuben Booth (Whig) (starting May 1)
* Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: John Moore (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Jesse D. Bright (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Manlius Valerius Thomson (political party unknown) (until September 4), Archibald Dixon (Whig) (starting September 4)
* Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Henry H. Childs (Democratic-Republican) (until month and day unknown), John Reed Jr. (political party unknown) (starting month and day unknown)
* Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Origen D. Richardson (Whig)
* Lieutenant Governor of Missouri:
	+ until February 9: Meredith Miles Marmaduke (Democratic)
	+ February 9-November 20: vacant
	+ starting November 20: James Young (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of New York: Daniel S. Dickinson (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Byron Diman (political party unknown)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Isaac Donnom Witherspoon (Democratic) (until December 7), J. F. Ervin (Democratic) (starting December 7)
* Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Horace Eaton (Whig)

## Events

* January 15 – The University of Notre Dame receives its charter from Indiana.
* February 28 – The "Peacemaker", the largest naval gun in the world, explodes during a demonstration aboard the USS *Princeton*, killing six, including Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur and Secretary of the Navy Thomas Walker Gilmer.
* March 12 – The Columbus and Xenia Railroad, the first railroad that is planned to be built in Ohio, is chartered.
* May 24 – The first electrical telegram is sent by Samuel F. B. Morse from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. to the B&O Railroad "outer depot" in Baltimore, Maryland, saying "What hath God wrought".
* June 15 – Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.
* June 22 – Influential North American fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon is founded at Yale University.
* June 27 – Death of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum are killed in Carthage Jail, Carthage, Illinois by an armed mob, leading to a succession crisis in the movement. John Taylor, future president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is severely injured but survives.
* June 30 – The Great Flood of 1844 hits the Missouri River and Mississippi River.
* July 3 – The U.S. signs the Treaty of Wanghia with Qing dynasty China, the first diplomatic agreement between the two nations in history.
* July 25 – Exclusion Law in Oregon prohibits African Americans (including slaves) from entering or remaining in the territory
* October 22 – The Great Disappointment: Millerites (including future members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church) find that the Second Coming of Jesus does not occur as predicted by preacher William Miller.
* December 4 – U.S. presidential election, 1844: James K. Polk defeats Henry Clay.

## Memoriam

* January 13 – Alexander Porter, U.S. Senator from Louisiana from 1833 to 1837 (aged 58; St. Mary Parish, LA, USA)
* January 25 – Horace H. Hayden, first licensed American dentist (aged 74; Baltimore, MD, USA)
* February 27 – Nicholas Biddle, financier, last president of the Second Bank of the United States (aged 58; Bucks County, PA, USA)
* February 28
	+ Abel P. Upshur, 15th Secretary of State from 1843 to 1844 (aged 53; Potomac River, MD, USA)
	+ Thomas Walker Gilmer, 15th Secretary of the Navy (aged 41; Potomac River, MD, USA)
* March 6 – Gabriel Duvall, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1811 to 1835 (aged 91; Glenn Dale, MD, USA)
* May 18 – Richard McCarty, politician (aged 64; New York City, NY, USA)
* April 4 – Charles Bulfinch, architect of the Massachusetts State House (aged 80; Boston, MA, USA)
* April 21 – Henry Baldwin, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1830 to 1844 (aged 64; Philadelphia, PA, USA)
* June 27 – Joseph Smith, religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement (aged 38; Carthage, IL, USA)
* July 23 – Christian Gobrecht, 3rd Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1840 to 1844 (aged 58; Philadelphia, PA, USA)
* August 15 – William S. Fulton, U.S. Senator from Arkansas 1836 to 1844 (aged 49; Little Rock, AR, USA)
* September 14 – Oliver Holden, composer (aged 78; Charlestown, MA, USA)
* December 7 – Thomas Morris, U.S. Senator from Ohio from 1833 to 1839 (aged 68; Bethel, OH, USA)