Career
In 1802, Blount moved to Montgomery County, Tennessee, which he represented in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1807 to 1809. He was elected governor in 1809, defeating William Cocke by 3,000 votes. Blount was reelected in 1811 and 1813.
During his governorship, he supported the War of 1812, and provided funds and soldiers to Tennessee militia forces led by Andrew Jackson during the Creek War. He led efforts to raise over $37,000 and 2,000 volunteer soldiers for the War of 1812, earning for Tennessee the nickname, "Volunteer State."
Blount attempted a political comeback in 1827, running for governor again, but was defeated by Sam Houston. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1834, which drafted a new document to replace the one in effect since the state had been admitted in 1796, and which has many similarities to the 1870 constitution which is still in effect. One of the chief differences between the 1834 constitution and its predecessor was considerably greater powers being granted to the executive branch generally and the governor in particular than in the earlier document.
Read more about this topic: Willie Blount
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“Work-family conflicts—the trade-offs of your money or your life, your job or your child—would not be forced upon women with such sanguine disregard if men experienced the same career stalls caused by the-buck-stops-here responsibility for children.”
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin (20th century)
“I’ve been in the twilight of my career longer than most people have had their career.”
—Martina Navratilova (b. 1956)
“It is a great many years since at the outset of my career I had to think seriously what life had to offer that was worth having. I came to the conclusion that the chief good for me was freedom to learn, think, and say what I pleased, when I pleased. I have acted on that conviction... and though strongly, and perhaps wisely, warned that I should probably come to grief, I am entirely satisfied with the results of the line of action I have adopted.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)