1850 in the United States
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1850 in the United States | |
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Years: | 1847 1848 1849 – 1850 – 1851 1852 1853 |
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![]() 30 stars (1848–51) |
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Timeline of United States history |
Events from the year 1850 in the United States.
Contents
Incumbents
Federal Government
- President: Zachary Taylor (W-Virginia) (until July 9), Millard Fillmore (W-New York) (starting July 9)
- Vice President: Millard Fillmore (W-New York) (until July 9), vacant (starting July 9)
- Chief Justice: Roger B. Taney (originally now residing in from of the U.S. state of Maryland)
- Speaker of the House of Representatives: Howell Cobb (D-Georgia)
- Congress: 31st
Governors and Lieutenant Governors |
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Events
January–March
- January 29 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.
- February 28 – The University of Utah opens in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- March 7 – United States Senator Daniel Webster gives his "Seventh of March" speech in which he endorses the Compromise of 1850 in order to prevent a possible civil war.
- March 16 – Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is published.
- March 19 – American Express is founded by Henry Wells & William Fargo.
April–June
- April 4 – Los Angeles, California is incorporated as a city.
- April 15 – San Francisco, California is incorporated as a city.
- April 19 – Clayton-Bulwer Treaty is signed by the United States and Great Britain, allowing both countries to share Nicaragua and not claim complete control over the proposed Nicaragua Canal.
- May 7 – The Brigantine USS Advance is loaned to the United States Navy.
- May 23 – The USS Advance puts to sea from New York to search for John Franklin's Arctic expedition.
- June 3 – The traditional date of Kansas City, Missouri's founding. This is the date on which it is incorporated by Jackson County, Missouri as the "Town of Kansas".
July–September
- July 9 – President Zachary Taylor dies in office; Vice President Millard Fillmore becomes the 13th President of the United States.
- September 9
- California is admitted as the 31st U.S. state (see History of California).
- The New Mexico Territory is organized by order of the U.S. Congress.
- September 18 – The Fugitive Slave Law is passed by the U.S. Congress.
October–December
- October 19 – Phi Kappa Sigma International Fraternity was founded at the University of Pennsylvania.
- October 28 – Delegate Edward Ralph May delivers speech on behalf of African American suffrage to the Indiana Constitutional Convention.
Undated
- The American System of Watch Manufacturing starts in Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S.A. (the Waltham Watch Company).
- US census shows that 11.2% of the population classed as "Negro" are of mixed race.
- Lehman Brothers is established in Montgomery, Alabama.
- Allan Pinkerton forms the North-Western Police Agency, later the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
- Harriet Tubman becomes an official conductor of the Underground Railroad.
- St. Mary's Institute (the future University of Dayton) is founded in Dayton, Ohio.
- The University of Rochester is founded in Rochester, New York.
Ongoing
- California Gold Rush (1848–1855)
Births
- February 15 – Albert B. Cummins, United States Senator from Iowa from 1908 till 1926. (died 1926)
- May 8 – Ross Barnes, baseball player and manager (died 1915)
- July 7 – William E. Mason, United States Senator from Illinois from 1897 till 1903. (died 1921)
- October 30 – John Patton, Jr., United States Senator from Michigan from 1894 till 1895. (died 1907)
Deaths
- March 28 – Gerard Brandon, 4th and 6th Governor of Mississippi from 1825 till 1826 and from 1826 till 1832. (born 1788)
- April 24 – John Norvell, United States Senator from Michigan from 1837 till 1841. (born 1789)
- May 16 – William Hendricks, United States Senator from Indiana from 1825 to 1837. (born 1782)
- July 9 – Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States from 1849 till 1850. (born 1784)
- November 19 – Richard Mentor Johnson, United States Senator from Kentucky from 1819 till 1829. 9th Vice President of the United States from 1837 till 1841. (born 1780)
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons