[William Charles Cole]. Governor of Louisiana, born in Virginia in 1775; died in New Orleans, LA, on the 23rd of November 1817. After studying law, he removed to Tennessee, then a territory, where he was elected a judge. He was a member of the convention which prepared the state constitution of 1796, and in 1797 was elected to Congress, where he served two terms. In 1802 he was appointed governor of the territory of Mississippi, and in 1803, when Louisiana was bought from the French, was appointed a commissioner with General James Wilkinson to take possession of the new territory, of which he was made governor in 1804. His administration was especially difficult, owing to the heterogeneous character of the people; but he preserved harmony between Creoles and the American planters, and exercised great tact in dealing with the adventurers of Aaron Burr’s expedition. When Louisiana was made a state in 1812, he was elected governor, and during the war with Great Britain aided in the defense of his state. In 1816 he was elected to the United States Senate, but was prevented by impaired health from taking his seat. Other members of his family served in Congress at various times.
