- John A. Quitman
John Anthony Quitman (b.
September 1 1799 ,Rhinebeck, New York ndashJuly 17 1858 ) [ [http://www.aztecclub.com/bios/quitman.htm Aztec Club Biography of 1847] ] was an American politician and soldier. He served as Governor of Mississippi from 1835 to 1836 as a Whig and again from 1850 to 1851 as a Democrat.Early life
John A. Quitman studied
Classics at Hartwick Seminary, graduating in 1816. After serving as an instructor atMount Airy College ,Pennsylvania , he decided to study law.Upon being admitted to the bar, he moved to
Chillicothe, Ohio in 1820, and from there toNatchez, Mississippi , in 1821. He purchasedMonmouth Plantation in 1826, and the plantation would be in his family for around 100 years (Monmouth (Natchez, Mississippi) ).Politics
Quitman practiced law in Natchez until 1826, when he was elected to the
Mississippi House of Representatives . He became Chancellor of the state in 1828, and served on the state's Constitutional Convention in 1832. In 1835, he was elected to the State Senate, becoming President of the Senate the following year. He also served as ActingGovernor of Mississippi during that time. In 1838, he became ajudge on theHigh Court of Errors and Appeals .Mexican-American War
On
July 1 1846 , during theMexican-American War , Quitman abandoned politics and enlisted in the military with the rank of Brigadier General of Volunteers. He commanded a brigade underZachary Taylor in northern Mexico.After the
Battle of Monterrey he was sent to joinWinfield Scott 's expedition. He led the 2nd Brigade in the Volunteer Division at theSiege of Veracruz and OnApril 14 1847 he was promoted to the rank of Major General in the Regular Army, and fought at Cerro Gordo.In the battle
Robert Patterson , the division commander, was wounded and command passed to Quitman. Reinforcements arrived from Veracruz including about 300 marines and were organized into a new brigade under Colonel Watson. The Volunteer Division was divided into two new divisions with Shields' and Watson's brigade being designated the 4th Division with Quitman in command. In this new capacity Quitman fought at the battles of Contreras and Churubusco. He commanded the southern assault during thebattle of Chapultepec and received the surrender of the citadel within Mexico City.With the fall of Mexico City, General Scott appointed Quitman as Military Governor of
Mexico City during the U.S. occupation, being the only American to rule from in the National Palace. He received an honorable discharge onJuly 20 1848 , and returned to Mississippi, serving as Governor of Mississippi in 1850 and 1851.Filibustering
It was in his capacity as governor that Quitman was approached by the filibuster
Narciso López to lead his filibuster expedition of 1850 toCuba . He turned down the offer because of his desire to serve out his term as Governor, but did offer assistance to López in obtaining men and material for the expedition. López’s effort ended in failure and the repercussion led to Quitman’s being charged with violations of neutrality law and his resignation from the post of Governor so that he could defend himself. The charges were dropped after three hung juries allowed him to avoid conviction.With the encouragement of President Pierce, Quitman began in July 1853 preparations for a filibuster expedition of his own. The preparations were nearly complete, with several thousand men prepared to go, when in May 1854 the Administration reversed course and undertook steps to stop what it had almost put into motion, presumably because it felt that in the wake of the furor over the passage of the
Kansas-Nebraska Act that action to add slaveholding territory such as Cuba would do irreparable damage to the Democratic Party in the North.Return to politics
On
March 4 ,1855 , Quitman was elected to the Thirty-fourth Congress for the Democratic Party, and served in that and the ensuing Congress until his death. In Congress, he was Chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs.Quitman died on his plantation, “Monmouth,” near Natchez, Mississippi on
July 17 1858 , aged 58, apparently from the effects ofNational Hotel disease , which he contracted during the inauguration of PresidentJames Buchanan . He was buried in the Natchez City Cemetery.The towns of
Quitman, Texas ,county seat ofWood County, Texas , andQuitman, Georgia , ofBrooks County, Georgia are named after him.References
Publications
* J. F. H. Claiborne, "Life and Correspondence of John A. Quitman" (two volumes, New York, 1860)
* Robert E. May, "John A. Quitman, Old South Crusader" (Louisiana State University Press, 1985)
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