John Pettit

John Pettit
United States Senator from Indiana
In office January 18, 1853 – March 3, 1855
Preceded by	Charles W. Cathcart
Succeeded by	Graham N. Fitch
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 8th district
In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	Joseph E. McDonald
Personal details
Born	(1807-06-24)June 24, 1807 Sackets Harbor, New York
Died	January 17, 1877(1877-01-17) (aged 69) Lafayette, Indiana
Political party	Democratic

John Pettit (June 24, 1807 – January 17, 1877) was a United States Representative and Senator from Indiana.

Born in Sackets Harbor, New York, he completed preparatory studies and admitted to the bar in 1831. He moved to Lafayette, Indiana where he commenced practice in 1838; he was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1838-1839 and was United States district attorney from 1839 to 1843.

Pettit was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Congresses (March 4, 1843 - March 4, 1849); he was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1848. In 1850 he was a delegate to the Indiana state constitutional convention and a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1852. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James Whitcomb and served from January 18, 1853, to March 4, 1855; he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854.

While in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims (Thirty-third Congress). During the Senate debate on the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, Pettit argued in favor of expanding slavery to Kansas, and famously said that Jefferson's idea (in the United States Declaration of Independence) that "all men are created equal" was not a "self-evident truth" but instead "is nothing more to me than a self-evident lie."^[1] The debate over Pettit's inflammatory words is credited with reviving Abraham Lincoln's interest in national politics.

After his time in Congress, Pettit was chief justice of the United States courts in the Territory of Kansas from 1859 to 1861, and was a judge of the Indiana Supreme Court from 1870 to 1877.

He died in Lafayette, Indiana, aged 69, and was interred in Greenbush Cemetery.

References

1. ↑ Codevilla, Angelo (2010-07-16) America's Ruling Class, The American Spectator

External links

• John Pettit at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• John Pettit at Find a Grave
• Text of 1854 speech by Abraham Lincoln against the extension of slavery, quoting Pettit

United States Senators from Indiana Class 1 Noble Hanna Tipton White Bright Wright Turpie T. Hendricks Pratt McDonald Harrison Turpie Beveridge Kern New Ralston Robinson Minton Willis Jenner Hartke Lugar Donnelly Class 3 Taylor W. Hendricks Smith Hannegan Whitcomb Cathcart Pettit Fitch Lane Morton Voorhees Fairbanks Hemenway Shively Taggart Watson Van Nuys Jackson Jenner Capehart Bayh II Quayle Coats Bayh III Coats

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana 1st district Prince Call Boon Blake Boon Proffit Owen Embree Albertson Lockhart Miller Lockhart Niblack Law Niblack Fuller Heilman Kleiner Hovey Posey Parrett Taylor Hemenway Foster Boehne, Sr. Lieb Denton Luhring W. Wilson Rowbottom Boehne, Jr. Schulte Madden Benjamin Hall Visclosky 2nd district Jennings Carr Ewing J. W. Davis Ewing J. W. Davis Thompson Henley Dunham English Cravens Kerr Wolfe Williams Humphreys Cobb O'Neall Bretz Hardy Miers Chaney Cullop Bland Greenwood Durgan Halleck Landgrebe Fithian Sharp McIntosh Pence Chocola Donnelly Walorski 3rd district Test O. Smith Test Carty Carr Graham Carr J. L. White T. Smith Robinson Dunham Dunn Hughes Dunn Harrington R. Hill Hunter Holman Kerr Carr Bicknell Stockslager Howard Brown Tracewell Zenor Cox Dunbar Gardner Dunbar Crowe Pettengill Grant Crook Crumpacker Nimtz Brademas Hiler Roemer Souder Stutzman 4th district Lane Dunn T. Smith Cravens C. Smith Julian Parker Lane Cumback Foley Holman Farquhar Holman Julian Je. Wilson New Sexton New Holman Watson Holman Griffith Dixon Benham Canfield Farley Gillie Kruse Adair Roush Quayle Coats Long Souder Buyer Rokita 5th district McCarty Rariden Kennedy Brown Wick Brown Hendricks Parker Holloway Kilgore Julian Coburn Holman Browne Matson Cooper Overstreet Faris Holliday Moss Sanders N. Johnson Gillen Griswold Harness Walsh Beamer Roush Roudebush Hillis Jontz Buyer Burton Brooks 6th district Kinnard Herod Wick Wallace J. W. Davis Dunn Gorman Hendricks Barbour Gregg Porter Dumont Coburn Voorhees Hunter Robinson Myers Browne H. Johnson Watson Barnard Gray Comstock Elliott Larrabee Jenckes N. Johnson Harden Wampler Roudebush Bray Evans Burton Pence Messer 7th district Hannegan A. White Howard Lane Wright McGaughey Thompson McGaughey J. G. Davis Scott J. G. Davis Voorhees Washburn Orth Manson Cason Landers Hanna Matyr Peelle English Bynum Henry Overstreet Korbly Moores Updike Ludlow Greenwood Landis Noland Bray Myers Pease Kerns J. Carson A. Carson 8th district Pettit McDonald Mace Ja. Wilson A. White Orth Tyner Hunter Hostetler Peirce Lamb Johnston Brookshire Faris Henry Cromer Adair Vestal Boehne, Jr. La Follette Mitchell Denton Merrill Denton Zion Hayes Cornwell Deckard McCloskey Hostettler Ellsworth Bucshon 9th district Sample Cathcart Fitch Eddy Shanks Cason M. White Orth Doxey Ward Cheadle Waugh Hanly Landis Morrison Purnell Crowe E. Wilson Hogan E. Wilson Hamilton B. Hill Sodrel B. Hill Young 10th district Kennedy Rockhill Harlan Brenton Chamberlain Case Mitchell Edgerton Defrees Williams Sayler Haymond Calkins Motte T. Wood Owen Patton Hammond Hatch Crumpacker Peterson W. Wood Gray Springer Harvey Harmon Harvey Roudebush Dennis Sharp Jacobs, Jr. J. Carson 11th district Harlan Pettit Shanks McDowell Stilwell Shanks Packard Evans Cowgill Steele Martin Steele Landis Rauch Kraus Cook Hall Griswold Larrabee Ludlow Jacobs, Sr. Brownson Barr Bruce Jacobs, Jr. Hudnut Jacobs, Jr. 12th district Hamilton Colerick Lowry J. B. White McClellan McNagny Leighty Robinson Gilbert Gilhams Cline Fairfield Hogg Ludlow 13th district Baker Calkins Shively Ford Shively Conn Royse Brick Barnhart Hickey Pettengill At-large Hendricks Jennings Packard / Orth / Williams Territory Parke Thomas Jennings