Famous People Who Died In 1845

Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of USA. His presidential reign has been termed as Jacksonian democracy and witnessed the shift of political power from established elites to ordinary voters. Coming from humble beginnings, Jackson knew the struggle of the masses and thus, worked towards creating a more inclusive country.  His picture has been featured on the front side of $20 bill since 1928.

Elizabeth Fry was an English social reformer, prison reformer, Quaker, and philanthropist. Nicknamed the Angel of Prisons, Fry played a major role in the Gaol Act, which necessitated sex-segregation of prisons. The act also mandated the appointment of female warders for female inmates.

The son of renowned French astronomer César-François Cassini de Thury, Dominique, comte de Cassini followed in his father’s footsteps to serve as the director of the Paris Observatory. He also completed the map of France that his father had begun. His monarchist ideals got him imprisoned by the revolutionary government.

Diego Vigil Cocaña was a Central American politician who served as the President of Federal Republic of Central America from 1839 to 1840. He also served as the 11th and 13th President of El Salvador between 1836 and 1838. Diego Vigil Cocaña is also remembered for his service as the seventh President of Honduras from 1828 to 1829.

Swiss plant physiologist and chemist Nicolas-Théodore de Saussure made pioneering developments in phytochemistry and is considered one of the major researchers of photosynthesis. His rich articles were featured in Annals of Chemistry. Born to alpinist, physicist, and meteorologist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, he was drawn to science since childhood.

Known for redefining Norwegian poetry, Henrik Wergeland is known for his iconic works such as Creation, Humanity, and Messiah and Jan van Huysum’s Flowerpiece. He fought for the constitutional rights of Jews and became a symbol of Norwegian independence, in spite of his early death at 37.

British politician and philanthropist Fowell Buxton was a prominent figure in the campaign for the abolition of slavery and was thus instrumental in the passage of the 1833 Abolition Act. Though the British government sponsored an anti-slave-trade expedition to Africa, inspired by his works, it failed to materialize due to multiple deaths.

Bernardino Rivadavia was an Argentinian politician who served as the president of Argentina from 1826 to 1827. Although he was accepted as the president only in Buenos Aires, Rivadavia is widely regarded as the first president of Argentina. During his presidency, Argentina witnessed an improvement in the education sector.

Born in the then-Dano-Norwegian city of Stavanger, Henrik Steffens grew up to be a fine philosopher. Initially a lecturer in the universities of Kiel and Jena, he later brought German romanticism to Denmark. He also taught mineralogy and physics and combined science and metaphysics. He also supported German nationalism.

Known for his patriotic poems, János Batsányi was stripped of his job of a treasury clerk and thrown into jail for his association with the conspiracy of Ignác Martinovics. A supporter of Napoleon, he was interned in Austria after Napoleon’s fall. On the Changes in France remains his best-known work.

John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer had earned the nickname Honest Jack for his spotless reputation while with the Whigs. He had a major role in the passage of the 1832 Reform Bill and later also sponsored the 1833 Factory Act, which aimed at reducing the employment of children in textile factories.

Known for her short stature, plain appearance, and loving nature, Julie Clary was the wife of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoléon’s elder brother, and thus the queen of Naples and Spain. Joseph later fled to America, leaving her alone in Italy. She reunited with Joseph in her final years.