Thomas Metcalfe (US politician)
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| Thomas Metcalfe | |
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10th Governor of Kentucky
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| In office August 26, 1828 – September 4, 1832 |
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| Lieutenant | John Breathitt |
| Preceded by | Joseph Desha |
| Succeeded by | John Breathitt |
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| In office March 4, 1819 – June 1, 1828 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph Desha Samuel H. Woodson |
| Succeeded by | Robert P. Letcher John Chambers |
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| In office June 23, 1848 – March 3, 1849 |
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| Preceded by | John J. Crittenden |
| Succeeded by | Henry Clay |
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| Born | March 20, 1780 Fauquier County, Virginia |
| Died | August 18, 1855 (aged 75) Nicholas County, Kentucky |
| Political party | National Republican |
| Spouse | Nancy Mason |
| Profession | Soldier, Stone mason |
Thomas Metcalfe (March 20, 1780 – 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.
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[edit] 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.[1] His father served as a captain in the Revolutionary War.[2] In 1784, the Metcalfe family relocated to Kentucky, settling near Russell's Cave in Fayette County, Kentucky.[1] Some years later, they would move to a farm in Nicholas County.[1]
Metcalfe was educated in the common schools.[3] At age sixteen, Thomas Metcalfe was apprenticed to his brother and learned the craft of stonemasonry.[2] He would practice this trade for several years. Among his creations is the Green County courthouse, known as the oldest courthouse in Kentucky.[1]
About 1806, Metcalfe married Nancy Mason of Fairfax, Virginia.[1] The couple had four children.[4]
[edit] 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.[2] While he was away at war, he was re-elected to the Kentucky House; only thirteen votes were cast against him.[5]
In 1818, Metcalfe was elected to the Sixteenth Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Joshua Desha.[5] 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.[3] He opposed the Second Bank of the United States, but favored extension of credit to purchasers of public land.[1] He proposed grant preemption rights to squatters in 1821.[6] He also opposed restrictions on slavery in Missouri and the Louisiana Purchase.[1]
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.[7]
[edit] Governor of Kentucky
Metcalfe resigned his seat in the House on June 1, 1828 to run for governor of Kentucky.[8] Running as a National Republican, he became the first gubernatorial candidate in the state to be chosen by a party nominating convention.[4] 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.[4] Metcalfe's election marked the first time the governorship had been won by a candidate who was not a Democratic Republican.[5] However, only one Democratic Republican would hold the office between Metcalfe's term and the election of Lazarus W. Powell in 1851.[5]
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.[9]
Metcalfe opposed the spoils system and the doctrine of nullification.[1] He favored protective tariffs and federal aid for internal improvements.[1] He oversaw the establishment of a road connecting Shelbyville to Louisville.[8] President Andrew Jackson vetoed federal aid for a turnpike connecting Maysville and Lexington, but Metcalfe continued constructing it with state funds.[4] (The road is now a portion of U.S. Route 68.)[10]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.[8] At the governor's recommendation, the legislature approved additional aid for education, and the creation of district schools.[1]
[edit] Later life and death
Following his term as governor, Metcalfe represented Nicholas and Bracken Counties the Kentucky Senate from 1834 to 1838.[2] In 1836, he served as a presidential elector.[8] He presided over the Kentucky Whig Convention in Harrodsburg on August 26, 1839.[11]From 1840 to 1849, he served as president of the state board of internal improvements.[8] 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.[3] He served from June 23, 1848, to March 3, 1849.[3] During his short tenure, he denounced secession, and asserted that Kentucky would remain part of the Union.[1]
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.[2] He was interred in the family burial ground at "Forest Retreat" in Nicholas County, Kentucky.[3] Metcalfe County, Kentucky was named in his honor.
| Preceded by Joseph Desha |
United States Representative from Kentucky's 4th District 1819 - 1823 |
Succeeded by Robert P. Letcher |
| Preceded by Samuel H. Woodson |
United States Representative from Kentucky's 2nd District 1823 - 1828 |
Succeeded by John Chambers |
| Preceded by Joseph Desha |
Governor of Kentucky 1828 - 1832 |
Succeeded by John Breathitt |
| Preceded by John J. Crittenden |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Kentucky 1848–1849 Served alongside: Joseph R. Underwood |
Succeeded by Henry Clay |
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Powell, p. 30
- ^ a b c d e Biographical encyclopædia
- ^ a b c d e Biographical Directory of Congress
- ^ a b c d Harrison, p. 630
- ^ a b c d Obit., The New York Times
- ^ Mathias, p. 33
- ^ Meigs, pp. 266–272
- ^ a b c d e NGA Bio
- ^ "Governor Joseph Desha", p. 15
- ^ Mathias, p. 35
- ^ Clay, p. 301
[edit] References
- (1878) The Biographical encyclopædia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century. Cincinnati, Ohio: J.M. Armstrong & company. Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
- Clay, Henry; Melba Porter Hay (1991). The Papers of Henry Clay. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813100593. Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
- "Death of Ex-Governor Metcalfe" (PDF) (1855-08-24). 'The New York Times'.
- "Governor Joseph Desha of Distinguished Huguenot Ancestry" (January 1904). Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society 2 (4).
- Harrison, Lowell H. (1992). in Kleber, John E.: The Kentucky Encyclopedia, Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter, Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813117720.
- Kentucky Governor Thomas Metcalfe. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
- Mathias, Frank F. (2004). "Thomas Metcalfe", in Lowell Hayes Harrison: Kentucky's Governors. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813123267.
- Meigs, William Montgomery (1917). The Life of John Caldwell Calhoun. The Neale Publishing Company. Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
- Powell, Robert A. (1976). Kentucky Governors. Danville, Kentucky: Bluegrass Printing Company. OCLC 2690774.
- Thomas Metcalfe (US politician) at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
[edit] Further reading
- Morton, Jennie C. (January 1904). "Biographical Sketch of Governor Thomas Metcalfe, with Portrait". Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 2 (4).
- American National Biography
- Dictionary of American Biography
[edit] External links
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