Gabriel Slaughter
Gabriel Slaughter | |
---|---|
7th Governor of Kentucky | |
In office October 14, 1816 – August 29, 1820 | |
Lieutenant | Vacant |
Preceded by | George Madison |
Succeeded by | John Adair |
4th and 6th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky | |
In office September 5, 1816 – October 14, 1816 | |
Governor | George Madison |
Preceded by | Richard Hickman |
Succeeded by | William T. Barry |
In office December 1808 – August 24, 1812 | |
Governor | Charles Scott |
Preceded by | Thomas Posey |
Succeeded by | Richard Hickman |
Member of the Kentucky Senate | |
In office 1801-1808 | |
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
In office 1797-1801 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Kentucky militia | December 12, 1767
Rank | Colonel |
Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
Gabriel Slaughter (December 12, 1767 – September 19, 1830) was the
After spending a decade in the state legislature, Slaughter was elected the
Madison died a short time into his term, whereupon Slaughter became acting governor. He sought to be sworn in as governor, but public sentiment turned against him when he replaced Shelby's son-in-law with
Early life
Gabriel Slaughter was born in Culpeper County in the Colony of Virginia on December 12, 1767, the son of Robert and Susannah (Harrison) Slaughter.[1] He was educated in the county's public schools and worked as a farmer.[1] In 1786, Slaughter married a cousin, Sarah Slaughter, and the couple had two daughters – Mary Buckner Slaughter and Susan Harrison Slaughter.[2][3]
Slaughter's father visited Kentucky as early as 1776, and moved to Mercer County permanently in 1789.[4] In September 1791, Gabriel Slaughter sold his land in Virginia, and he and his family followed his father to Kentucky.[3] He became known for his generosity, and his large mansion on the turnpike to Lexington was nicknamed "Wayfarer's Rest" because of the vast number of travelers that he allowed to stay there.[5] Among his guests was future lieutenant governor Robert B. McAfee.[6] Soon after his arrival in Kentucky, however, his wife Sarah died, leaving Slaughter to care for his two daughters alone.[3]
In 1795, Slaughter was appointed justice of the peace in Mercer County by Governor Isaac Shelby. The same year, he was also named a tax commissioner for a district of Mercer County.[7] On a return trip to Virginia in 1797, Slaughter married his second wife, Sara Hord. The couple returned to Slaughter's home in Mercer County, where they had three children: John Hord Slaughter, Frances Ann Hord Slaughter, and Felix Grundy Slaughter.[3]
Service in the Kentucky General Assembly
Slaughter's political career began in earnest with his 1797 election to the Kentucky House of Representatives representing Mercer County. He was named to the Committee on Enrollments, and probably served as chair, since he delivered the committee's reports to the Assembly. It is unclear whether he did not seek re-election in 1798, or whether he was defeated in that year's canvass. Whatever the case, he filled the space of his legislative hiatus by serving as trustee of the newly incorporated Harrodsburg Academy. He was re-elected to the state House in 1799. In addition to the Committee on Enrollments, he served on the Committee on Privileges and Elections and a joint committee that reported on the state of the Auditor's, Treasurer's, and Registrar's offices. Records show that he also served as chairman when the House sat as a committee of the whole on November 25, 1799.[8]
Slaughter was re-elected to the state House in 1800, and from 1801 to 1808 he served in the
Slaughter was elected lieutenant governor in 1808.[9] In a four-man race, he received more than three times the number of votes as his nearest opponent.[10] His four-year term under Governor Charles Scott was largely undistinguished.[10] Although the exact date is unknown, it is likely that the death of Slaughter's second wife preceded his election as lieutenant governor.[12] On October 3, 1811, he married his third wife, Elizabeth (Thompson) Rodes, a widow from Scott County.[2]
Prohibited by the
Service in the state militia
Slaughter had been commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the Fifth Regiment of the Kentucky militia on December 24, 1803.[10] He was promoted to the rank of major in 1802 and colonel in 1803.[6] In 1814, he answered Governor Shelby's call for volunteers to serve in the army of the Southwest under General Andrew Jackson.[14]
When the
Following their service together, Jackson asked Slaughter to preside over a
Ascension to the governorship
In 1816, Slaughter was again elected to the post of lieutenant governor over Richard Hickman and James Garrard.[16] George Madison was elected governor without opposition.[16] Madison died October 14, 1816, and Slaughter ascended to the governorship. This was the first time a sitting governor had died in office in Kentucky, and some questioned the legality of Slaughter's status in the position.[2]
Following Governor Madison's death, Secretary of State Charles Stewart Todd offered to step down if Slaughter preferred to appoint someone else to the post.[17] The letter was not an explicit resignation, as Todd emphatically declared his intention to work with Slaughter should the governor choose to retain him.[18] Slaughter did replace Todd with former Senator John Pope, however, apparently as a political favor.[18] This move proved disastrous for Slaughter's political career. Todd was very popular by virtue of being the son-in-law of twice-governor Shelby.[18] By contrast, Pope was extremely unpopular for his vote in the U.S. Senate against declaring war in the War of 1812.[2]
The move was panned in the state's newspapers, and by prominent citizens such as future governor
On January 27, 1817, a faction in the Kentucky House of Representatives led by Joseph Cabell Breckinridge proposed a bill calling for the election of "a governor to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of" Governor Madison.[2][17] The measure failed, but the legislative elections of 1817 showed a popular mandate for a special gubernatorial election. The Kentucky House passed a bill calling for such elections by a vote of 56–30, but the measure died in the state senate.[2] Nevertheless, Slaughter was never officially given the title of governor and was referred to as "lieutenant governor" or "acting governor" throughout his administration.[2] The General Assembly censured both Slaughter and Pope for failing to require the proper security and oath of office for the state treasurer.[13]
Slaughter's unpopularity led to the demise of many of his proposals, regardless of their merits. He suggested a comprehensive system of public schools and, though the idea had been proposed by previous governors, Slaughter devised a means of funding it. The hostile legislature refused the plan and overrode Slaughter's vetoes of bills that allowed individual schools to be supported by lotteries. Slaughter further proposed a reform of the penal system and recommended internal improvements, including the creation of a state library. These measures were also rejected.[13]
Slaughter's governorship was further complicated by the financial
Religious leadership and later life
Following his term as governor, Slaughter failed in a bid to return to the state senate in 1821, but was re-elected to the state House of Representatives in 1823, serving a single term.[22] During this term, he continued to support measures to improve education. He voted to ask Congress for aid for the Deaf and Dumb School in the state, and opposed redirecting fines and forfeitures earmarked for the state's "Seminaries of Learning" into the state treasury. He was also named to a joint committee to investigate the use of state appropriations to Transylvania University.[23]
Concurrent with his political career, Slaughter took a leading role in the affairs of his church. He was born into the tradition of the Church of England, but soon became associated with the Baptist congregation at Shawnee Run. He served as a messenger from this congregation to the various associations with which it was connected for over thirty years. One such association was the South District Association; Slaughter served as clerk at that body's annual meeting in 1808 and 1809, and later served as its moderator for nine years. In 1813, he helped found the Kentucky Bible Society.[12]
Following his term in the state House, Slaughter retired from politics and became an active lay minister of the Baptist faith.[22] In 1829, he was appointed to the first board of trustees of Georgetown College, a Baptist college in Georgetown, Kentucky.[22] He died on September 19, 1830, and was interred in his family's cemetery in Mercer County.[9]
References
- ^ a b Harrison, page 825
- ^ a b c d e f g Powell, page 24
- ^ a b c d Dorman, p. 339
- ^ Dorman, page 338
- ^ Smith, p. 171
- ^ a b Hopkins, page 22
- ^ Dorman, pages 338–339
- ^ Dorman, page 340
- ^ a b c d NGA Bio
- ^ a b c d Dorman, p. 341
- ^ Dorman, 340–341
- ^ a b c d Dorman, page 342
- ^ a b c d e f g Harrison, p. 826
- ^ a b c Smith, p. 172
- ^ Dorman, pages 342–343
- ^ a b Dorman, p. 343
- ^ a b Hopkins, page 23
- ^ a b c Dorman, p. 344
- ^ Dorman, pages 345–346
- ^ a b Rothbard, p. 76
- ^ Rothbard, p. 77
- ^ a b c Hopkins, p. 25
- ^ Dorman, pages 352–353
Bibliography
- Dorman, John Frederick (October 1966). "Gabriel Slaughter, 1767–1830, Governor of Kentucky, 1816–1820". The Filson Club History Quarterly. 40: 338–356. ISSN 0015-1874.
- ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
- Hopkins, James F. (2004). "Gabriel Slaughter". In Lowell Hayes Harrison (ed.). Kentucky's Governors. ISBN 0-8131-2326-7.
- "Kentucky Governor Gabriel Slaughter". National Governors Association. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- Powell, Robert A. (1976). Kentucky Governors. OCLC 2690774.
- Rothbard, Murray N. (2007). The Panic Of 1819: Reactions and Policies. Ludwig von Mises Institute. ISBN 978-1-933550-08-4. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
- Smith, Zachary F. (1904). The Battle of New Orleans, including the previous engagements between the Americans and the British, the Indians, and the Spanish which led to the final conflict on the 8th of January, 1815. John P. Morton & Company.
Further reading
- Allen, William B. (1872). A History of Kentucky: Embracing Gleanings, Reminiscences, Antiquities, Natural Curiosities, Statistics, and Biographical Sketches of Pioneers, Soldiers, Jurists, Lawyers, Statesmen, Divines, Mechanics, Farmers, Merchants, and Other Leading Men, of All Occupations and Pursuits. Bradley & Gilbert. pp. 84–85. ISBN 9780608434209. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
- Brown, Orlando (July 1951). "The Governors of Kentucky". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. 49 (3): 202–212.
External links