George Edmund Badger
George Edmund Badger (
1795–
1866) was a
Whig U.S. senator from the state of
North Carolina.
Badger was born on
April 17,
1795 in
New Bern, North Carolina. Following a partial college education at
Yale University, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1814. Badger practiced law in North Carolina, was active in state politics and held public office on occasion. A supporter of
Andrew Jackson from the 1820s, he separated with him in the mid-1830s, became a leader of the Whig party and helped carry the Whigs to victory in the 1840 Presidential election.
Upon taking office, President
William Henry Harrison appointed Badger as his
Secretary of the Navy, and he continued in that post when
John Tyler succeeded to the Presidency upon Harrison's death. Badger's brief term as Secretary was marked by efforts to strengthen the Navy in the face of tension with Great Britain, the establishment of the Home Squadron and continued interest in steamships.
Badger resigned in September 1841, during a general cabinet shakeup. He was elected to the Senate in 1846 and remained a Senator until 1855. He was nominated by President
Millard Fillmore as an
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1853, but was not confirmed by the Senate. He was a Unionist during the secession crisis but thereafter supported the
Confederate war effort. Badger died in
Raleigh, North Carolina on
May 11,
1866.
Two Navy ships have been named in honor of Senator Badger:
USS George E. Badger (DD-196), and
USS Badger (FF-1071). A
Liberty ship, the
SS George E. Badger, also was named in his honor.
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