Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
CASS, Lewis
CASS, Lewis. (Exeter, NH, Oct. 9, 1782--Detroit, MI, June 17, 1866). After serving during the War of 1812 in which he was promoted to the rank of general, Cass was appointed Governor of the Michigan Territory. Governor Cass visited the site of Dubuque's mines in July 1827 on an expedition to improve the reputation of the region. A government report had stated the area of the Michigan Territory was worthless. Glowing reports from Cass, along with those of geologist Henry Rowe SCHOOLCRAFT, did much to encourage settlement in the region of the Upper MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
Cass served as governor from 1813 until 1831. That same year, President Jackson chose Cass to serve as his Secretary of War. At the conclusion of his term, Jackson appointed Cass U.S. Minister to France, a position he held for six years.
Cass failed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination in 1844 and in 1845 became a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. After serving in the Senate, Cass secured the presidential nomination in 1848 but lost the election. He returned to the Senate for eight more years and failed to receive the presidential nomination in 1852. President Buchanan appointed Cass as Secretary of State in 1857.
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Source:
"Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Lewis Cass (1782–1866)," Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute United States Department of State, Online: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/cass-lewis