Alexander Keith McClung
Encyclopedia
Alexander Keith McClung (14 June 1811 - 25 March 1855) briefly served as US chargé d'affaires to Bolivia
in president Zachary Taylor
's administration. Nicknamed "The Black Knight of the South," he was a duel
list and poet. James H. Street
used him as the model for the character Keith Alexander in his novel Tap Roots (1942).
McClung was born in Fauquier County, Virginia
, and was the nephew of John Marshall
. He served as lieutenant colonel of the 1st Mississippi Regiment during the Mexican War. He committed suicide in the Eagle Hotel in Jackson, Mississippi
.
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in president Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
's administration. Nicknamed "The Black Knight of the South," he was a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
list and poet. James H. Street
James H. Street
James Howell Street was a U.S. journalist, minister, and writer of Southern historical novels.Street was born in Lumberton, Mississippi, in 1903. As a teenager, he began working as a journalist for newspapers in Laurel and Hattiesburg, Mississippi...
used him as the model for the character Keith Alexander in his novel Tap Roots (1942).
McClung was born in Fauquier County, Virginia
Fauquier County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 55,139 people, 19,842 households, and 15,139 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile . There were 21,046 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
, and was the nephew of John Marshall
John Marshall
John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
. He served as lieutenant colonel of the 1st Mississippi Regiment during the Mexican War. He committed suicide in the Eagle Hotel in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
.