← 1843 1842 1841 1844 in the United States → 1845 1846 1847
Decades:	1820s 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s
See also:	History of the United States (1789–1849) Timeline of United States history (1820–1859) List of years in the United States

Events from the year 1844 in the United States.

• President: John Tyler (I-Virginia)
• Vice President: vacant
• Chief Justice: Roger B. Taney (Maryland)
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: John Winston Jones (D-Virginia)
• Congress: 28th

• January 15 – The University of Notre Dame receives its charter from Indiana.
• February 28 – The "Peacemaker", the largest naval gun in the world, explodes during a demonstration aboard the USS Princeton on the Potomac River, killing six, including Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur and Secretary of the Navy Thomas Walker Gilmer.
• March 12 – The Columbus and Xenia Railroad, the first railroad that is planned to be built in Ohio, is chartered.
• May 24 – The first electrical telegram is sent by Samuel F. B. Morse from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. to the B&O Railroad "outer depot" in Baltimore, Maryland, saying "What hath God wrought".
• June–July – The Great Flood of 1844 hits the Missouri River and Mississippi River.
• June 15 – Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.
• June 22 – Influential North American student fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon is founded at Yale College.
• June 27 – Killing of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum are killed in Carthage Jail, Carthage, Illinois by an armed mob, leading to a succession crisis in the movement. John Taylor, future president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is severely injured but survives; Willard Richards survives with a light wound.
• July 3 – The U.S. signs the Treaty of Wanghia with Qing dynasty China, the first diplomatic agreement between the two nations in history.
• July 25 – Exclusion Law in Oregon prohibits African Americans (including slaves) from entering or remaining in the territory
• August 8 – During a meeting held in Nauvoo, Illinois, the Quorum of the Twelve, headed by Brigham Young, is chosen as the leading body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• October 22 – The Great Disappointment: Millerites (including future members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church) find that the Second Coming of Jesus does not occur as predicted by preacher William Miller.
• December 4 – U.S. presidential election, 1844: James K. Polk defeats Henry Clay.
• Undated
  • The first ever international cricket match is played in New York City between Canada and the United States.
  • The United American Cemetery is founded in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[1]

• March 12 – Patrick Collins, lawyer, 37th Mayor of Boston and U.S. Representatives from Massachusetts (died 1905)
• April 13 – John Surratt, suspected involvement in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, son of Mary Surratt (died 1916)
• April 22 – Lewis Powell, conspirator with John Wilkes Booth, attempted assassin of William H. Seward (died 1865)
• May 2 - Elijah McCoy, inventor of the automatic steam engine lubricator (died 1929)
• June 1 – John J. Toffey, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1911)
• June 3 – Garret Hobart, 24th vice president of the United States from 1897 till 1899. (died 1899)
• July 9 – Charles D. Barney, stockbroker (died 1945)
• August 1 – Levi Ankeny, United States Senator from Washington from 1903 till 1909. (died 1921)
• August 24 – Charles B. Clark, politician and entrepreneur (died 1891)
• October 11 – Henry J. Heinz, entrepreneur and founder of the H. J. Heinz Company (died 1919)
• Full date unknown:
  • Edwin H. Tomlinson, world traveler and benefactor (died 1938)^[2]

• January 13 – Alexander Porter, United States Senator from Louisiana from 1833 till 1837. (born 1785)
• January 25 – Horace H. Hayden, first licensed American dentist (born 1769)
• February 27 – Nicholas Biddle, financier, last president of the Second Bank of the United States (born 1786)
• February 28 –
  • Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of State from 1843 to 1844 (born 1790)
  • Thomas W. Gilmer, fifteenth Secretary of the Navy (born 1802)
• March 6 – Gabriel Duvall, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1811 to 1835 (born 1752)
• May 18 – Richard McCarty, politician (born 1780)
• April 4 – Charles Bulfinch, architect of the Massachusetts State House (born 1763)
• April 21 – Henry Baldwin, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, 1830–1844 (born 1780)^[3]
• June 27 Joseph Smith Jr., religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement (born 1805)
• July 23 – Christian Gobrecht, third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1840 to 1844 (born 1785)
• August 15 – William S. Fulton, United States Senator from Arkansas 1836 till 1844. (born 1795)
• September 14 – Oliver Holden, composer (born 1765)

• Timeline of United States history (1820–1859)

• Media related to 1844 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons