Claiborne, William Charles Coles definition of Claiborne, William Charles Coles in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Claiborne, William Charles Coles, 1775–1817, governor of Louisiana, b. Sussex co., Va. He began law practice in Sullivan co., Tenn., and was appointed a judge of the state supreme court in 1796. As a Congressman (1797–1801) he supported Jefferson, and in 1801 the President made him governor of Mississippi Territory. In 1803, Claiborne was one of the commissioners appointed to receive Louisiana from France after the Louisiana Purchase, and he was governor (1804–12) of the newly organized Territory of Orleans. American government was not well received by the Creoles, and Claiborne had many quarrels with legislators and others. He was also criticized for his apparent approval of the questionable activities of Gen. James Wilkinson Wilkinson, James, 1757–1825, American general, b. Calvert co., Md. Abandoning his medical studies in 1776 to join the army commanded by George Washington, he served as a captain in Benedict Arnold's unsuccessful Quebec campaign. Later he was Gen.
..... Click the link for more information. . However, when the Territory of Orleans was admitted to the Union in 1812 as the state of Louisiana, Claiborne was elected governor and served until 1816. In 1817 he was elected to the U.S. Senate but died before he could take his seat.

Bibliography

See D. Rowland, ed., Official Letterbooks of W. C. C. Claiborne, 1801–1816 (6 vol., 1917).