Orville Hickman Browning (February 10, 1806 – August 10, 1881) was an attorney in Illinois and a politician who was active in the Whig and Republican Parties. He is notable for his service as a U.S. Senator and the United States Secretary of the Interior. Born in Kentucky, and trained as a lawyer, Browning settled in Illinois, where he served in the militia during the Black Hawk War, established himself as a successful attorney, and became involved in politics as a Whig. He served in the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives, and ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives. When the Whig Party broke apart in the mid 1850s and the Republican Party was formed as the country's major anti-slavery party, Browning took part in the convention that organized the party in Illinois. In 1861, Browning was appointed to the United States Senate seat left vacant by the death of Stephen A. Douglas; he served until January 1863, after which he resumed practicing law. After the death of Abraham Lincoln, Browning became a supporter of Andrew Johnson; in 1866, Johnson named Browning as U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and Browning served until the end of Johnson's term in March 1869. After leaving office, Browning practiced law in Washington, DC and Illinois. He was elected as a Democratic candidate for a delegate's position at the 1869-1870 Illinois constitutional convention. He died in Illinois in 1881. Early life Browning was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky on February 10, 1806, the son of Sally (Brown) Browning and Micaijah Browning. Sally Brown was the daughter of James Brown, a judge in Bourbon County. Micaijah Browning was a prominent merchant and farmer who also served as a justice of the peace, member of the county court, and presiding county court judge. Orville Browning attended Augusta College in Augusta, Kentucky, studied law with his uncle William Brown, and attained admission to the bar in 1831. Start of career After becoming an attorney, Browning moved to Quincy, Illinois, where he established a practice in partnership with Nehemiah Bushnell. During the 1832 Black Hawk War he served in the Illinois Militia. Active in politics as a Whig, he served in the Illinois State Senate from 1836 to 1840, and the Illinois House of Representatives from 1842 to 1844. His military and political careers overlapped Abraham Lincoln's; as a result of their involvement in