Thomas Metcalfe (US politician)

Infobox Governor
name= Thomas Metcalfe


caption=
order=10^th
office= Governor of Kentucky
term_start= August 26, 1828
term_end= September 4, 1832
lieutenant= John Breathitt
predecessor= Joseph Desha
successor= John Breathitt
office2= United States Representative
term_start2 = March 4, 1819
term_end2= June 1, 1828
lieutenant2=
predecessor2=Joseph Desha
Samuel H. Woodson
successor2=Robert P. Letcher
John Chambers
office3= United States Senator
term_start3 = June 23, 1848
term_end3= March 3, 1849
lieutenant3=
predecessor3=John J. Crittenden
successor3=Henry Clay
birth_date= birth date|1780|3|20|mf=y
birth_place= Fauquier County, Virginia
death_date= death date and age|1855|8|18|1780|3|20|mf=y
death_place= Nicholas County, Kentucky
spouse= Nancy Mason
profession= Soldier, Stone mason
party= National Republican
religion=
footnotes=

Thomas Metcalfe (March 20, 1780ndash August 18, 1855) was a U.S. Representative, Senator, and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first gubernatorial candidate in the state's history to be chosen by a nominating convention rather than a caucus. He was also the first governor of Kentucky who was not a member of the Democratic Republican party.

Metcalfe's early education was sparse. At age sixteen, he was apprenticed to his older brother and became a stonemason. He helped construct the Green County courthouse, known as the oldest courthouse in Kentucky. Later, political opponents would mock his trade, giving him the nickname "Old Stone Hammer."

Metcalfe's political career began with several terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives. His service was interrupted by the War of 1812, in which he commanded a company in the defense of Fort Meigs. In 1818, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He held his seat in the House for five terms, then resigned to run for governor. In an election decided by 709 votes, Metcalfe defeated William T. Barry in the gubernatorial election of 1828. His predecessor, Joseph Desha was so stunned by his party's loss that he threatened not to vacate the governor's mansion. Ultimately, however, he respected the will of the people, and allowed an orderly transition.

Metcalfe's primary concern as governor was the issue of internal improvements. Among his proposed projects were a road connecting Shelbyville to Louisville and a canal on the Falls of the Ohio. When President Andrew Jackson vetoed funds to construct a turnpike connecting Maysville and Lexington, Metcalfe built it anyway, paying for it entirely with state funds.

Following his term as governor, Metcalfe served in the state senate, and completed the unfinished term of John J. Crittenden in the U.S. Senate in 1848. After this, he retired to "Forest Retreat", his estate in Nicholas County, where he died of cholera in 1855. Metcalfe County, Kentucky was named in his honor.

Early life

Thomas Metcalfe was born to John Metcalfe and his third wife, Sarah "Sally" Dent (Chinn) Metcalfe, on March 20, 1780 in Fauquier County, Virginia.Powell, p. 30] His father served as a captain in the Revolutionary War."Biographical encyclopædia"] In 1784, the Metcalfe family relocated to Kentucky, settling near Russell's Cave in Fayette County, Kentucky. Some years later, they would move to a farm in Nicholas County.

Metcalfe was educated in the common schools."Biographical Directory of Congress"] At age sixteen, Thomas Metcalfe was apprenticed to his brother and learned the craft of stonemasonry. He would practice this trade for several years. Among his creations is the Green County courthouse, known as the oldest courthouse in Kentucky.

About 1806, Metcalfe married Nancy Mason of Fairfax, Virginia. The couple had four children.Harrison, p. 630]

Political career

Metcalfe's political career began in 1812 when he was elected to represent Nicholas County in the Kentucky House of Representatives. His service was interrupted by the War of 1812. In 1813, he raised a company of volunteers and commanded them at the Battle of Fort Meigs. While he was away at war, he was re-elected to the Kentucky House; only thirteen votes were cast against him.Obit., "The New York Times"]

In 1818, Metcalfe was elected to the Sixteenth Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Joshua Desha. During his tenure in the House, which lasted five terms, he was the chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs and the Committee on Militia. He opposed the Second Bank of the United States, but favored extension of credit to purchasers of public land. He proposed grant preemption rights to squatters in 1821.Mathias, p. 33] He also opposed restrictions on slavery in Missouri and the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1826, Metcalfe served on a House committee that investigated allegations that Vice-President John C. Calhoun had improperly benefited from a contract he awarded while serving as Secretary of War in 1822. While Calhoun was cleared of any wrongdoing, his friend, South Carolina Representative George McDuffie, began an exchange of correspondence with Metcalfe regarding the proceedings. The correspondence became heated, and McDuffie challenged Metcalfe to a duel. As the recipient of the challenge, Metcalfe had the right to choose the terms of the engagement. He chose rifles as the weapon at a distance of 90 feet. McDuffie insisted that wounds from a previous duel had left him incapable of handling a rifle, and proposed pistols as an alternative. Metcalfe replied that he had never handled a pistol in his life. Unable to come to an agreement on this issue, both sides eventually dropped the matter entirely. [Meigs, pp. 266–272]

Governor of Kentucky

Metcalfe resigned his seat in the House on June 1, 1828 to run for governor of Kentucky.NGA Bio] Running as a National Republican, he became the first gubernatorial candidate in the state to be chosen by a party nominating convention. He defeated William T. Barry by a margin of 709 votes, and his running mate, Joseph R. Underwood, was badly defeated by the Democratic Republican nominee, John Breathitt. Metcalfe's election marked the first time the governorship had been won by a candidate who was not a Democratic Republican. However, only one Democratic Republican would hold the office between Metcalfe's term and the election of Lazarus W. Powell in 1851.

Joseph Desha, the outgoing governor, refused to believe that his party has lost the governorship. He further disdained Metcalfe because of his occupation as a stonemason, which he believed was too low a calling for a governor. Metcalfe's opponents made slights on the quality of his stone work and his views on the Old Court-New Court controversy. When told about these charges, Metcalfe remarked "They may say what they like about my views, but the first man that dares to attack my character, I will cleave his skull with my stone hammer, as I would cleave a rock." As word of this remark spread, Metcalfe was given the nickname "Old Stone Hammer." Despite his threats to remain in the governor's mansion until the legislature convened, Desha respected the will of the people, and left the residence on September 2, 1828. ["Governor Joseph Desha", p. 15]

Metcalfe opposed the spoils system and the doctrine of nullification. He favored protective tariffs and federal aid for internal improvements. He oversaw the establishment of a road connecting Shelbyville to Louisville. President Andrew Jackson vetoed federal aid for a turnpike connecting Maysville and Lexington, but Metcalfe continued constructing it with state funds. (The road is now a portion of U.S. Route 68.)Mathias, p. 35] His term also saw the commissioning of the state's first railroad and the beginning of plans for a canal at the Falls of the Ohio. At the governor's recommendation, the legislature approved additional aid for education, and the creation of district schools.

Later life and death

Following his term as governor, Metcalfe represented Nicholas and Bracken Counties the Kentucky Senate from 1834 to 1838. In 1836, he served as a presidential elector. He presided over the Kentucky Whig Convention in Harrodsburg on August 26, 1839.Clay, p. 301] From 1840 to 1849, he served as president of the state board of internal improvements. Finally he was appointed and subsequently elected as a Whig to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John J. Crittenden. He served from June 23, 1848, to March 3, 1849. During his short tenure, he denounced secession, and asserted that Kentucky would remain part of the Union.

After his term in the Senate Metcalfe engaged in agricultural pursuits near Carlisle, Kentucky. He died of cholera in his home on August 18, 1855. He was interred in the family burial ground at "Forest Retreat" in Nicholas County, Kentucky. Metcalfe County, Kentucky was named in his honor.

Notes

References

*cite book |title=The Biographical encyclopædia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century |publisher=J.M. Armstrong & company |location=Cincinnati, Ohio |year=1878 |url=http://ftp.rootsweb.ancestry.com/pub/usgenweb/ky/metcalfe/bios/m324bo-002.txt |accessdate=2008-04-03
*cite book |last=Clay |first=Henry |authorlink=Henry Clay |coauthors=Melba Porter Hay |title=The Papers of Henry Clay |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |year=1991 |isbn=0813100593 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=gID5RTGOEWQC |accessdate=2008-04-03
*cite journal |title=Death of Ex-Governor Metcalfe |journal="The New York Times" |date=1855-08-24 |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9C06E5DD1631E334BC4C51DFBE66838E649FDE&oref=slogin |format=PDF |accessdate=2008-04-03
*cite journal |title=Governor Joseph Desha of Distinguished Huguenot Ancestry |journal=Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society |volume=2 |issue=4 |month=January |year=1904
*cite book |last=Harrison |first=Lowell H. |authorlink=Lowell H. Harrison |title=Metcalfe, Thomas |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter |title="The Kentucky Encyclopedia" |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=0813117720
*cite web |url=http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=0945c895ddf56010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD |title=Kentucky Governor Thomas Metcalfe |publisher=National Governors Association |accessdate=2008-04-03
*cite book |last=Mathias |first=Frank F. |chapter=Thomas Metcalfe |title="Kentucky's Governors" |editor=Lowell Hayes Harrison |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |year=2004 |isbn=0813123267
*cite book |last=Meigs |first=William Montgomery |title=The Life of John Caldwell Calhoun |publisher=The Neale Publishing Company |year=1917 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=bB0HJIQinicC |accessdate=2008-04-07
*cite book |last=Powell |first=Robert A. |title="Kentucky Governors" |publisher=Bluegrass Printing Company |location=Danville, Kentucky |year=1976 |id=OCLC|2690774
*CongBio|M000676

Further reading

*
* American National Biography
* Dictionary of American Biography

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7909145 Find-A-Grave profile for Thomas Metcalfe]