Profile Text
Date of Birth: October 9, 1782
Place of Birth: Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S.
Date of Death: June 17, 1866
Place of Death: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Ethnicity: English, as well as distant Irish and Scottish
Lewis Cass was an American army officer, politician, and statesman. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Governor of the Michigan Territory, from October 13, 1813 to August 1, 1831, U.S. Secretary of War, from August 1, 1831 to October 4, 1836, U.S. Minister to France, from December 1, 1836 to November 12, 1842, a U.S. Senator from Michigan, from March 4, 1845 to May 29, 1848, and again, from March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1857; President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, from December 4, 1854 to December 5, 1854, and U.S. Secretary of State, from March 6, 1857 to December 14, 1860.
He was the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States in 1848 . He was also a candidate for the Democratic Party’s 1844 and 1852 presidential nominations.
Lewis was the son of Molly (Gilman) and Major Jonathan Cass. His father fought under General George Washington at Bunker Hill, in the Revolutionary War. Lewis was of Colonial American ancestry, with most of his antecedents having come from England.
His family moved to Marietta, Ohio, in 1800, after the Northwest Indian War.
Lewis was married to Elizabeth/Eliza Spencer, until her death, with whom he had seven children. Eliza was the granddaughter of lawyer, soldier, and statesman Joseph Spencer, who was a member of the Continental Congress and a major general of the Continental Army. Among their children was diplomat Lewis Cass, Jr., who was U.S. Minister to the Papal States, from November 19, 1849 to November 27, 1858. Lewis’s son-in-laws included Dutch journalist, diplomat, and politician Theodorus Marinus Roest van Limburg; and politician Henry Ledyard, who was Mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Among Lewis’s grandchildren were soldier and businessperson Henry B. Ledyard, Jr., who was President of the Michigan Central Railroad, from 1883 to 1905; and lawyer Lewis Cass Ledyard. Among his great-grandchildren was publishing executive Cass Canfield, the longtime president and chairman of Harper & Brothers/Harper & Row. Among his great-great-grandchildren was Republican Party politician Cass Ballenger, who was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina, from November 4, 1986 to January 3, 2005. Through Cass Canfield, Lewis’s great-great-great-great-granddaughter is actress Juliana Canfield .
Lewis’s paternal grandfather was Joseph Cass (the daughter of Jonathan Cass and Tabitha Ring). Joseph was born in New Hampshire. Jonathan was the son of Captain Joseph Cass, whose parents were English, from Hertfordshire and Suffolk, respectively; and of Elizabeth Green, whose parents were also English. Tabitha was the daughter of John Ring, whose parents were from Marlborough, Wiltshire; and of Priscilla Norton, whose father was also English.
Lewis’s paternal grandmother was Sarah Flanders (the daughter of Jedediah Flanders and Eleanor Barnard). Sarah was born in Massachusetts. Jedediah was the son of Daniel Flanders and Sarah Jane Colby. Eleanor was the daughter of Samuel Barnard and Ann/Anne Currier.
Lewis’s maternal grandfather was Theophilus Gillman (the son of Nehemiah Gilman and Martha Jane Grey). Theophilus was born in New Hampshire. Nehemiah was the son of James Gilman, whose father was born in Hingham, Norfolk, England, and of Mary Anne Dolloff.
Lewis’s maternal grandmother was Deborah Webster (the daughter of Nathaniel Webster and Martha Gilman). Deborah was born in New Hampshire. Nathaniel was the son of Thomas Webster, whose father was Scottish and whose mother was Irish. Martha was the daughter of John/Jeremiah Gilman, whose father was born in Hingham, Norfolk, England, and of Dorothy Wiggin.
Lewis’s maternal grandparents were evidently second cousins.
Sources: Genealogies of Lewis Cass – https://www.geni.com https://www.wikitree.com