Kentucky. Governor (1859-1862 : Magoffin)

Beriah Magoffin, a Democrat, served as governor of Kentucky from 1859 to 1862, during the period of the secession crisis and the first years of the Civil War. He resigned after three years in office when, as a result of the hostile political climate, his power and effectiveness as governor were considerably diminished.

Born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky in 1815, Magoffin received a degree from Centre College and graduated from the law school at Transylvania University in 1838. After a brief stay in Mississippi, he returned to Harrodsburg where he practiced law and was appointed a police judge in 1840. Magoffin was active in Democratic politics, and served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention four times. He was elected to the Kentucky Senate in 1850, but failed in his campaign for lieutenant governor in 1855. In 1859, Magoffin won the governorship, defeating Joshua Bell.

When Magoffin took office in September 1859, Kentucky faced the uncertainties of the growing sectional crisis. Although the governor considered secession to be a state's right, he did no want Kentucky to secede from the Union. He believed that a concerted effort by the slaveholding states would be a more effective negotiating strategy than secession by individual states. When it became apparent in early 1861 that Kentucky would have to take a stand on the secession issue, Magoffin attempted to call a convention to discover the choice of the majority of citizens. The legislature, controlled by Unionists who were unwilling to risk the possibility of a pro-southern outcome, would not allow the convention. Magoffin attempted to keep Kentucky neutral, including refusing President Abraham Lincoln's call for volunteers on April 15, 1861.

Although Magoffin expressed his willingness to fulfill his duties in a manner acceptable to the majority, he clashed with the Unionist legislature over many of the problems that faced the state because of the Civil War. The Unionists held a large majority in the General Assembly, and could override any of Magoffin's vetoes, so that the governor became increasingly ineffective. In September 1861, despite Kentucky's stated neutrality, the legislature instructed the governor to call for the removal of all Confederate troops from the state. When Magoffin vetoed this measure, the General Assembly passed it again. In March 1862, Magoffin vetoed a bill which stripped state citizenship from all Kentuckians who provided assistance to the South, or who served the Confederate government in either a military or civilian capacity. The legislature again overrode his veto.

When the legislature convened in August 1862, Magoffin decided to resign if an appropriate successor could be agreed upon, since Lieutentant Governor Linn Boyd had died in 1859. On August 18, 1862, Magoffin resigned as governor, and was succeeded by James F. Robinson, who served the remainder of Magoffin's term.

Magoffin returned to Harrodsburg and private life, although he served one term in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1867 to 1869. He died in 1885, and is buried in Harrodsburg.

From the description of Subunit history. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145416007