Aaron Venable BROWN, Congress, TN (1795-1859)

BROWN, Aaron Venable, a Representative from Tennessee; born in Brunswick County, Va., August 15, 1795; attended Westrayville Academy, North Carolina, and was graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1814; moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 1815; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1817 and commenced practice in Nashville; moved to Giles County in 1818 and continued the practice of law; became the partner of James K. Polk; served in the State senate 1821-1825; member of the State house of representatives 1831-1833; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth, Twenty-seventh, and Twenty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1839-March 3, 1845); chairman, Committee on Territories (Twenty-eighth Congress); was not a candidate for reelection in 1844; Governor of Tennessee 1845-1847; unsuccessful candidate for reelection; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1852; appointed Postmaster General in the Cabinet of President Buchanan on March 6, 1857, and served until his death in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 1859; interment in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Tenn.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present