Charles A. Wickliffe
Charles A. Wickliffe | |
---|---|
James Love | |
Personal details | |
Born | Charles Anderson Wickliffe June 8, 1788 Springfield, Kentucky, U.S. |
Died | October 31, 1869 Ilchester, Maryland, U.S. | (aged 81)
Political party | Democratic-Republican (Before 1825) Whig (1834–1852) Unionist (1852–1863) Democratic (1863–1866) |
Spouse | Margaret Crepps |
Children | Robert |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
Charles Anderson Wickliffe (June 8, 1788 – October 31, 1869) was a
Wickliffe received a strong education in public school and through private tutors. He studied law and was part of a debate club that also included future
President Tyler appointed Wickliffe as
In 1861, Wickliffe was again elected to the U.S. House, serving a single term. He tried to avert the Civil War by serving as a delegate to both the 1861 Peace Conference and the Border States Convention. After war was declared, he sided with the Union cause. In 1863, he again sought the office of governor, but federal military forces interfered with the election, resulting in a landslide victory for Thomas E. Bramlette. Later in life, Wickliffe was crippled in a carriage accident and also went completely blind. He died on October 31, 1869, while visiting his daughter in Maryland.
Early life
Charles Anderson Wickliffe was born June 8, 1788, in a log cabin near Springfield, Kentucky.[1] He was the youngest of the nine children born to Charles and Lydia (Hardin) Wickliffe.[2] His family emigrated to Kentucky from Virginia in 1784.[3]
Wickliffe attained his early education at the local schools of Springfield, then attended Wilson's Academy in
In his early life, Wickliffe was known to gamble at cards. His friends considered his gambling excessive, and two of them – Duval and Judge John Pope Oldham – devised a scheme to break Wickliffe of his habit. The two knew that Wickliffe would be collecting several thousand dollars at the upcoming session of the Bullitt County court. They plotted to invite Wickliffe to play cards with them and agreed upon a secret system of signals to communicate about the strengths and weaknesses of the cards in their hands. In this way, they hoped to win all of Wickliffe's money, then return it to him in exchange for his promise to forsake the vice. On the night appointed, however, it was Wickliffe who won all the money wagered by Duval and Oldham, despite their schemes. When Wickliffe later learned of the designs of his friends, he agreed to give up gambling.[9]
In 1813, Wickliffe married Margaret Cripps, and the couple had three sons and five daughters.[2][4] Most notable among the children was Robert, who became Governor of Louisiana.[2] His daughter Nancy married David Levy Yulee.
The Wickliffes contracted with John Rogers, architect of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Bardstown, to construct their residence, which they dubbed "Wickland".[10] Later, Wickland was called "the home of three governors".[10] Besides Wickliffe and his son, J. C. W. Beckham, Wickliffe's grandson and future governor of Kentucky, occupied the residence.[10]
Political career
Wickliffe's political career began when he was elected to represent
Wickliffe was returned to the Kentucky House in 1822 and 1823.
First service in the House of Representatives
In 1823, Wickliffe was elected to the
Historian Robert Powell opined that Wickliffe's break from party loyalty may explain his lack of committee appointments in his early years in the House.[2] Beginning in 1829, however, he chaired the Committee on Public Lands.[2] In this capacity, he attacked Clay's plan to distribute surplus revenue among the states as being unfair to younger states.[10] He also differed with Clay over Clay's willingness to limit slavery.[10] He wrote Clay concerning his slowness to respond to the problem of fugitive slaves; Clay never responded.[10] Neither was Wickliffe loyal to the Jacksonian platform, however. In a letter to his brother, he lamented Jackson's attacks on the Second Bank of the United States.[10] He publicly encouraged Kentuckians to strengthen the Whigs, despite his disagreements with Clay.[10]
In 1830, Wickliffe was chosen by his colleagues as one of the managers of the impeachment trial proceedings against Missouri District Court judge James H. Peck.[6] In 1831, he was one of several candidates proposed by the Kentucky General Assembly to succeed John Rowan in the U.S. Senate.[14] Of the sixty-nine votes needed to be elected to the seat, Wickliffe received forty-nine.[14] Other candidates included John J. Crittenden (sixty-eight votes), John Breathitt (sixty-six votes), and Richard Mentor Johnson (sixty-four votes).[14] After three days of balloting, the Assembly was still unable to fill the seat, and it was allowed to remain vacant until the next session.[14] Wickliffe did not seek re-election to his seat in the House in 1833.[6]
Governor of Kentucky
Wickliffe returned to the state legislature from 1833 to 1835.
As governor, Wickliffe's primary concern was the
Service to Presidents Tyler and Polk
Wickliffe campaigned on behalf of the Whig ticket of William Henry Harrison and John Tyler in the presidential election of 1840.[16] Wickliffe and Tyler were friends, having shared a room when they were both in Congress.[16] When Harrison's death elevated Tyler to the office of president, Tyler appointed Wicklilffe as Postmaster General, a choice that angered Clay supporters in the party.[16] Wickliffe served in Tyler's administration until March 1845.[6]
On August 1, 1844, Wickliffe and two of his daughters boarded the steamship Georgia traveling from
Wickliffe supported the
Later political career
On February 18, 1841, the Kentucky General Assembly elected
Wickliffe was elected to another term in Congress, serving from 1861 to 1863 as a Union Whig.[6] He opposed the idea of secession, and was a member of both the 1861 Peace Conference and the Border States Convention that attempted to stave off the Civil War.[2] In April 1861, he attended a secret meeting at the Capitol Hotel in Frankfort where participants planned to arm Union supporters in key areas of the state.[23] On May 18, President Lincoln supplied rifles – nicknamed "Lincoln guns" – for the venture.[24] After Braxton Bragg's forces destroyed the railroad trestles near Bardstown, Wickliffe personally hired Joseph Z. Aud to carry the area's mail by private carriage.[25] The trestles were rebuilt in February 1863, precluding the need for Aud's service.[25]
Near the end of his term in Congress, Wickliffe was thrown from a carriage and permanently crippled.
Wickliffe served as a delegate to the
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Harrison, p. 950
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Powell, p. 38
- ^ a b Allen, p. 104
- ^ a b c Encyclopedia of Kentucky, p. 78
- ^ Little, p. 203
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Biological Directory of the United States Congress
- ^ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, January 13, 2022, retrieved July 6, 2022
- ^ a b c d Hibbs, p. 40
- ^ Little, pp. 33–34
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Heck, p. 52
- ^ a b Trowbridge, "Kentucky's Military Governors"
- ^ Little, p. 107
- ^ Little, p. 98
- ^ a b c d Little, p. 156
- ^ a b Little, p. 204
- ^ a b c Heck, p. 53
- ^ a b c d e Niles' National Register, p. 353
- ^ a b Heck, p. 54
- ^ National Governors Association
- ^ a b c Bullock
- ^ a b c Little, p. 205
- ^ a b c Little, p. 210
- ^ Hibbs, p. 68
- ^ Hibbs, p. 69
- ^ a b Hibbs, p. 80
- ^ Hibbs, p. 140
Bibliography
- 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. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
- Bullock, Jason (1998). The United States and Mexico at War. Macmillan Reference USA.
- United States Congress. "Charles A. Wickliffe (id: W000442)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Encyclopedia of Kentucky. ISBN 0-403-09981-1.
- "Kentucky Governor Charles Anderson Wickliffe". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on October 20, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
- ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
- Heck, Frank H. (2004). ISBN 0-8131-2326-7.
- Hibbs, Dixie (2002). Bardstown: Hospitality, History and Bourbon. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-2391-7. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
- Little, Lucius P. (1887). Ben Hardin: His Times and Contemporaries, with Selections from His Speeches. Courier-journal job printing company. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
- "The Postmaster General". Niles' National Register. 64 (23). Ayer Publishing. August 5, 1844. ISBN 0-8337-2546-7. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- Powell, Robert A. (1976). Kentucky Governors. OCLC 2690774.
- Trowbridge, John M. "Kentucky's Military Governors". Kentucky National Guard History e-Museum. Kentucky National Guard. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
Further reading
- Guelzo, Allen C. (2006). Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-9965-5. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
- Morton, Jennie C. (September 1904). "Governor Charles A. Wickliffe". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. 2 (6): 17–21.
- Speed, Thomas (1907). The Union Cause in Kentucky, 1860–1865. G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 9780722283387. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
External links
- Cemetery Memorial by La-Cemeteries