AARON VENABLE BROWN was born 15 Aug 1795 in Brunswick County, Virginia, attended Westrayville Academy in North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1814. In 1815, he moved to Nashville, Davidson County, Tenn where he studied law until 1817 when he was admitted to the bar. He commenced practicing law in Nashville, then moved to Giles County in 1818 where he continued to practice law, becoming the partner of James K. Polk. He served in the Tennessee state senate from 1821 to 1825, and was a member of the State house of representatives from 1831 to 1833. He was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth, Twenty-seventh, and Twenty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1839-March 3, 1845) and served as the chairman for the Committee on Territories (Twenty-eighth Congress). He did not run for re-election in 1844, but served as Governor of Tennessee from 1845 to 1847 when his candidacy for relection failed. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1852, was 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. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. (Excerpted from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-present)