Background
Joseph Kent was born on January 14, 1779 in Calvert County, Maryland, United States, the son of Daniel Kent and Anne Weems Wheeler.
Joseph Kent was born on January 14, 1779 in Calvert County, Maryland, United States, the son of Daniel Kent and Anne Weems Wheeler.
Kent received an ordinary schooling at Lower Marlboro Academy, and studied medicine. He was licensed as a physician in 1799.
About 1799 Kent became the partner of Dr. Parran of Lower Marlboro, but in 1801 he established an independent practice at Bladensburg, Maryland, where he also engaged in agriculture. He entered the militia as surgeon and rose to be colonel of cavalry.
He was interested in public affairs and in 1811 entered the national House of Representatives. With the exception of the years 1815-1819 he served until 1826. In 1826 Kent resigned from the House to become governor of Maryland. He won his first election by a vote of fifty-nine to thirty; his two reelections were almost unanimous. Having been a director of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, he was greatly interested in internal improvements by both federal and state aid. He urged state support both for the canal and for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, deprecating the idea of antagonism between the two projects.
Having become closely identified with the National Republicans, Kent in 1831 was a member and a vice-president of the Baltimore convention which nominated Henry Clay for the presidency and was himself later elected to the Senate, taking his seat on December 2, 1833.
His death occurred at his home, "Rosemount, " near Bladensburg, following a fall from his horse. His eulogy was pronounced by Clay.
Kent was first elected to the House of Representatives as a Federalist, he voted for the War of 1812 and later became a Republican, serving as a Monroe elector in 1816. He opposed the tariff bills of 1820 and 1824, voted for the bill providing for the general survey for roads and canals (1824), and favored other internal improvement measures. In the discussion over the admission of Missouri, he supported the compromise measures. During the presidential election of 1824, he took no part in the caucus, and in the House voted for Adams, with four of the nine Maryland representatives.
While a governor of Maryland he supported the resolution of a previous legislature for a popular presidential vote by districts, but he insisted upon state equality in the election by the House. In matters of social importance he favored prison reform and aid to schools and colleges.
During his term in Senate, he was a friend and faithful follower of Clay, supporting the censure on Jackson's removal of deposits, and opposing Jackson's attitude toward France, the land distribution bill, and the surplus distribution bill. He favored some non-partisan measures, including the bills providing for the repeal of the four-year term of officials, forbidding interference with antislavery mail, and those granting aid to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He also favored a reform in the method of electing the president and a reduction of the vote necessary to override a presidential veto. Although he seldom spoke in debate, when he did, according to Clay, it was always to good purpose.
Kent married twice. His first wife was Eleanor Lee Wallace, who died in 1826. His second wife was Alice Lee Contee.