Hugh Lawson White
Hugh White | |
|---|---|
Littleton Tazewell | |
| Succeeded by | George Poindexter |
| United States Senator from Tennessee | |
| In office October 28, 1825 – January 13, 1840 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Jackson |
| Succeeded by | Alexander O. Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hugh Lawson White October 30, 1773 Rowan County, North Carolina, British America (now Iredell County) |
| Died | April 10, 1840 (aged 66) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Resting place | First Presbyterian Church Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican (Before 1825) Democratic (1825–1836) Whig (1836–1840) |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Carrick (1798–1831 Anne Peyton (1832–1840) |
| Relatives | James White (Father) Samuel Carrick (Father-in-law) Charles McClung (Brother-in-law) John Overton (Brother-in-law) John Williams (Brother-in-law) |
| Signature |  |
Hugh Lawson White (October 30, 1773 – April 10, 1840) was a prominent American
An ardent
Suspicious of the growing power of the presidency, White began to distance himself from Jackson in the mid-1830s, and realigned himself with Henry Clay and the burgeoning Whig Party.[2]: 251–2 He was eventually forced out of the Senate when Jackson's allies, led by James K. Polk, gained control of the Tennessee state legislature and demanded his resignation.[2]: 409–410
Biography
Early life
White was born in what is now
In 1791, White's Fort was chosen as the capital of the newly created Southwest Territory, and James White's friend, William Blount, was appointed governor of the territory. Hugh Lawson White worked as Blount's personal secretary,[1] and was tutored by early Knoxville minister and educator, Samuel Carrick.[1] In 1793, he fought in the territorial militia under John Sevier during the Cherokee–American wars.[1] Historian J. G. M. Ramsey credited Hugh Lawson White's company with the killing of the Chickamauga Cherokee war chief, King Fisher,[4] and White's granddaughter and biographer, Nancy Scott, stated that White fired the fatal shot.[2]: 11n
White studied law in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, under James Hopkins, and was admitted to the bar in 1796.[1] Two years later, he married Elizabeth Carrick, the daughter of his mentor, Samuel.[1]
The judiciary and early political career
In 1801, White was appointed judge of the Superior Court of Tennessee, then the state's highest court.
In 1812, White was named president of the Knoxville branch of the Bank of Tennessee.[1] White was described as a very cautious banker,[2]: 14–9 and his bank was one of the few in the state to survive the Panic of 1819.[6]
In 1821, President
United States Senate
In 1825, the Tennessee state legislature chose White to replace Andrew Jackson in the United States Senate (Jackson had resigned following his failed run for the presidency in 1824).[1] White spearheaded the Southern states' opposition to sending delegates to 1826 Congress of Panama, which was a general gathering of various nations in the Western Hemisphere, many of which had declared their independence from Spain and abolished slavery.[2]: 40–6 White argued that if the U.S. attended the congress, it would violate the commitment to neutrality put forth by President Washington decades earlier, and stated that the nation should not get involved in foreign treaties merely for the sake of "gratifying national vanity."[2]: 39
Following Jackson's election to the presidency in 1828, White became one of the Jackson Administration's key congressional allies.[2]: 246 White was chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which drew up the Indian Removal Act of 1830, a major initiative of Jackson.[2]: 153–4 The act called for the relocation of the remaining Native American tribes in the southeastern United States to territories west of the Mississippi River and would culminate in the so-called Trail of Tears.
In an 1836 speech, White described himself as a "strict constructionist,"
Like most Southern senators, White opposed the
1836 presidential election
Toward the end of Jackson's first term, a rift developed between White and Jackson. In 1831, as Jackson reshuffled his cabinet in the aftermath of the
At the end of Jackson's second term, the Tennessee state legislature endorsed White for the presidency in 1835. This angered Jackson, as he had chosen Martin Van Buren as his successor. White stated that no sitting president should choose a successor, arguing that doing so was akin to having a monarchy.[2]: 352 In 1836, White left Jackson's party entirely, and decided to run for president as a candidate for the Whig Party led by Henry Clay, which had mainly formed from opposition to Jackson but also continued the nationalist agenda of the National Republican Party, although this very contradicting position in regard to White's ideals was not yet determined at that time, as the party was still regionally factionalized.[1]
In the
Later career
By 1837, the relationship between White and Jackson had turned hostile. Jackson was outraged when he learned that White had accused his administration of committing outright fraud, and stated in a letter to Adam Huntsman that White had a "lax code of morals."[2]: 306 Jackson's allies such as James K. Polk, Felix Grundy, and John Catron, also turned against White and blamed him for the dispute with Jackson.[2]: 262 White stood by his accusations and blasted Jackson for making "useless expenditures" of public money,[2]: 347 and increasing the power of the presidency.[2]: 348
By the late 1830s, Jackson's allies had gained control of the Tennessee state legislature. After White refused their demand that he vote for the Subtreasury Bill, he was forced to resign on January 13, 1840.[1] Following a large banquet in Washington, White returned to his native Knoxville. His entry into the city was marked by the firing of cannons and the ringing of church bells, as he paraded through the streets on horseback.[2]: 410
Shortly after his return, White fell ill, and he died on April 10, 1840. A large funeral procession led his casket and riderless horse through the streets of Knoxville.[2]: 421–2 He is interred with his family in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery.[10]
Personality and style
White believed strongly in the principles of strict constructionism and a limited federal government and voted against fellow Jacksonians if he felt their initiatives ran counter to these principles.[11] His independent nature and his stern rectitude earned him the appellation "The Cato of the United States."[12] His congressional colleague, Henry Wise, later wrote that White's "patriotism and firmness" as the Senate's president pro tempore was key to resolving the Nullification Crisis.[2]: 239
White believed that being on the public payroll obligated him to attend every Senate meeting, no matter the issue.[2]: 239–240 Felix Grundy recalled that White once departed Knoxville in the middle of a driving snowstorm to ensure he made it to Washington in time for the Senate's fall session.[2]: 241 Senator John Milton Niles later wrote that White was often "the only listener to a dull speech."[2]: 240 White prided himself on being the most punctual member of the Senate and was usually the first senator to arrive at the Capitol on days when the Senate was in session.[2]: 241 Senator Ephraim H. Foster once told a story about waking up well before sunrise one morning, determined to beat White to the Capitol at least once in his career, and arriving only to find White in the committee room analyzing some papers.[2]: 241
Family and legacy
White's father, James White (1747–1820), was the founder of Knoxville, Tennessee. His brothers-in-law included surveyor Charles McClung (1761–1835), who platted Knoxville in 1791, Judge John Overton (1766–1833), the co-founder of Memphis, Tennessee, and Senator John Williams (1778–1837).[1] White and his first wife, Elizabeth Carrick, had 12 children, two of whom died in infancy.[2]: 413 Between 1825 and 1831, eight of their surviving ten children died of tuberculosis.[2]: 414–419 Their lone surviving son, Samuel (1825–1860), served as mayor of Knoxville in 1857.[13]
White's farm lay just west of Second Creek in Knoxville. In the late 19th century, this became a land development area known as "White's Addition."
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Mary Rothrock, The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1972), pp. 501-502.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao Nancy Scott, A Memoir of Hugh Lawson White (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Company, 1856).
- ^ a b William MacArthur, Lucile Deaderick (ed.), "Knoxville's History: An Interpretation," Heart of the Valley: A History of Knoxville, Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1976), p. 13.
- ^ J.G.M. Ramsey, The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century (Johnson City, Tenn.: Overmountain Press, 1999), p. 586.
- ^ John Wooldridge, George Mellen, William Rule (ed.), Standard History of Knoxville, Tennessee (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900; reprinted by Kessinger Books, 2010), p. 480.
- ^ John Finger, Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition (Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 2001), p. 184.
- ^ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, January 13, 2022, retrieved July 7, 2022
- LCCN 65-14917.of Virginia, as Speaker, second.
As a result of Calhoun's resignation, Hugh L. White of Tennessee, as President pro tempore, was placed first in the line of succession and Andrew Stevenson
- ^ Election of 1836, The American Presidency Project website, University of California, Santa Barbara. Accessed September 13, 2011.
- ^ Graveyard Inscriptions, U-Z Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, First Presbyterian Church, Knoxville (website). Retrieved: September 9, 2011.
- ^ Jonathan Atkins, "Hugh Lawson White," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: September 9, 2011.
- ^ Herbert Treadwell Wade, The New International Encyclopedia, Vol. 20 (1905), p. 480.
- ^ Mayors of Knoxville Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, City of Knoxville website. Retrieved: September 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Don Akchin and Lisa Akchin, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Fort Sanders Historic District, March 4, 1980.
- ^ Our Rich History Archived August 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, White County, Arkansas website. Retrieved: September 9, 2011.
Further reading
- Atkins, Jonathan M. (1992). "The Presidential Candidacy of Hugh Lawson White in Tennessee, 1832-1836". The Journal of Southern History. 58 (1): 27–56. JSTOR 2210474.
- McCormick, Richard P. (1984). "Was There a "Whig Strategy" in 1836?". Journal of the Early Republic. 4 (1): 47–70. JSTOR 3122854.
- Murphy, James Edward (1971). "Jackson and the Tennessee Opposition". Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 30 (1): 50–69. JSTOR 42623203.
External links
- United States Congress. "Hugh Lawson White (id: W000376)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- A memoir of Hugh Lawson White – a biography of White written by his granddaughter, Nancy Scott
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Chairs of the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs | ||
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