John Janney

John Janney

Infobox Officeholder
name =John Janney



imagesize =200px
small

caption =
order =
office =Delegate to the House of Represnetatives of the Virginia General Assembly from Loudoun County
term_start =1834
term_end =1845
president =
predecessor =
successor =
order2 =Delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 form Loudoun County
term_start2 =October 14, 1850
term_end2 =October 25, 1851
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
order3 =Presiding officer to the Virginia Seccession Convention of 1861 from Loudoun County
term_start3 =February 13, 1861
term_end3 =May 23, 1861
predecessor3 =
successor3 =
birth_date =November 8, 1798
birth_place =Alexandria, Virginia
death_date =January 5, 1872 (aged 73)
death_place =Loudoun County, Virginia
nationality =
party =Whig
spouse =Alicia Marmaduke
relations =
children =
residence =Leesburg, Virginia
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession =Law
net worth =
religion =Episcopalian


website =
footnotes =

John Janney (November 8 1798-January 5, 1872) was an influential member of the Whig Party in Virginia prior to its demise, delagate to the Virginia General Assembly from Loudoun County and served as President of the Virginia Secession Convention in 1861.

John Janney was born November 8 1798 in Alexandria, Virginia to devout Quaker parents. When Janney was still a boy his parents moved to Goose Creek (present day Lincoln) in Loudoun County where there was a thriving Quaker community. Janney attended school at the local meeting house until he was teenager when he left to study law at the county court in Leesburg under Richard Henderson. At 18 he was admitted to the bar of that court, where he quickly gained the respect of his peers and rose through the ranks of the local Whig Party.

In 1831, he helped to draft a bill to abolish slavery in Virginia for the General Assembly. Two years later Janney was elected to that bodies lower chamber as a delegate from Loudoun, a seat he held until 1845.

Despite his work on the abolition bill, Janney bought his first slave in 1834. Because Quakers did not allow its members to own slaves, Janney broke with the church and joined the Episcopal Church.

In 1839 the national Whig party held a convention to nominate its candidate for the upcoming Presidential election. The choice game down to two natives of Virginia; Henry Clay and William Henry Harrison. The Virginia delegation preferred Clay, but in his career he had made too many enemies in his own party and the nomination went to Harrison. The party was sensitive to the Virginia delegation given the states large population and political clout so they instructed the delegation to caucus and nominate their choice for vice president. When the delegation met two men received nominations; John Janney of Loudoun and John Tyler of Charles City County. The vote ended in a tie, but the tidewater representatives used their political advantage to get Tyler, a tidewater aristocrat the nomination over Janney, an upcountry Quaker. After Tyler got the nomination Janney confessed that, as was his custom, he voted not for himself but Tyler causing the tie. Harrison of course would die just three months into office and Tyler would become president.

In 1847, Janney was one of three lawyers to defend Nelson Talbott Gant, who was a freed slave from Leesburg who was accused of stealing his wife, still a slave, from her owner who had refuse to allow Gant to buy her freedom. Janney and his were successful in obtaining Gant's acquittal by arguing that the bonds of marriage transcend those of slavery.

In 1850 Virginia held a Constitutional Convention and Loudoun sent Janney as a member of its delegation. As the Whig party collapsed under sectional strain in the 1850's Janney remained a committed Unionist, and because of that view along with his respect in the political arena Janney was again chosen to represent Loudoun and advocate for remaining in the Union in 1861 when the state called a special convention to decide its course in the coming conflict. When he arrived in Richmond he was chosen to serve as President of the body. He would vote twice against Secession, but after the second vote passed on April 17 he submitted to the will of the majority and reversed his vote to make it unanimous. From that point on despite his personal views he supported his native state and the course it chose, though he took no active part in the fight. As president of the convention he had the notable honor of giving Robert E. Lee command of the forces of the Commonwealth. After the convention adjourned Janney returned to his law practice in Loudoun which he continued until his death in 1872.

*Nichols, Joseph V. "Legends of Loudoun Valley" Willow Bend Books; Lovettsville, Va. 1996.
*"Exploring Lessburg: Guide to history and architecture."

External links

* [http://spec.lib.vt.edu/mss/Janney/janney.html John Janney Papers Inventory]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Janney — It could reasonably be argued that this is the most famous name and surname of the Christian World. It was recorded from the 12th century a.d. onwards in every European country, and in a vast range of spellings, of which there are believed to be… …   Surnames reference

  • Allison Janney — Infobox Actor name = Allison Janney caption = Janney at the Heart Truth Fashion Show, 2008 birthdate = birth date and age|1959|11|19 birthplace = Dayton, Ohio, USA birthname = spouse = emmyawards = Outstanding Lead Actress Drama Series 2002 The… …   Wikipedia

  • Glenn John McQueen — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Findet Nemo Originaltitel: Finding Nemo Produktionsland: USA Erscheinungsjahr: 2003 Länge …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Leon Janney — est un acteur américain né le 1er avril 1917 à Ogden, Utah (États Unis), décédé le 28 octobre 1980 à Guadalajara (Mexique). Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Filmographie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Loudoun County in the American Civil War — Loudoun County in the Civil War mdash;Loudoun County, Virginia, was destined to be an area of significant military activity during the American Civil War. Located on Virginia s northern frontier, the Potomac River, Loudoun County became a… …   Wikipedia

  • Ashburn, Virginia — is an unincorporated area located in Loudoun County, Virginia, 30 miles west of Washington, D.C., and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. The area serves as headquarters for the internet service provider Verizon Business, Old Dominion… …   Wikipedia

  • Ashburn (Virginia) — Virginia, Ashburn markiert Ashburn ist ein gemeindefreies Gebiet in Loudoun County, Virginia, 50 km westlich von Washington, D.C. und gehört zur Washington Metropolitan Area. In Ashburn befinden sich die Zentrale von Verizon Business, der Old… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry — 43rd Battalion of Virginia Cavalry Flag of Virginia Active June 10, 1863 to April 21, 1865 Country …   Wikipedia

  • Loudoun Rangers — Flag of Virginia Active 1862 to 1865 Country …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Easton (actor) — Infobox actor name=Robert Easton imagesize = 150px birthdate = Birth date and age|1930|11|23|mf=y birthplace = Milwaukee, WisconsinRobert Easton (born November 23, 1930) is an American actor whose career in film and television spans more than 55… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”