Jane McManus Storm Cazneau
Encyclopedia
Jane Maria Eliza Cazneau (née McManus, widowed Storm; April 6, 1807 Brunswick
, Rensselaer County, New York
– December 12, 1878) was an American journalist, lobbyist, and publicist who advocated the annexation of all of Mexico
during the Mexican-American War.
and Catharine (Coons) McManus. She attended Troy Female Seminary
, one of the earliest colleges for women, but did not graduate. On August 22, 1825, she married Allen B. Storm. Their son, William Mt. Storm (b. August 2, 1826), became an inventor who patented in April 1853 an "Improved Process for Mixing Air and Steam for Actuating Engines.". They separated in 1831, and Allen Storm died 1838 in New York City
.
In 1832, Jane's father ventured into land speculation, and was one of the founders of the Galveston Bay
and Texas Land Company, and Jane and her brother Robert traveled to Texas, which was then still part of Mexico
, to buy land. The next year, Jane, her father, her brother Robert and a company of German settlers set out to take possession of the land, but the scheme failed when the German settlers refused to go beyond Matagorda
. She returned home with her father to Brunswick, NY. Her brother Robert remained in Texas and eventually became a wealthy planter.
's The New Yorker
, and Moses Yale Beach
's New York Sun and the Democratic Review, strongly advocating manifest destiny
. Storm embraced this with enthusiasm, and was to go on to be a firm believer, northerner though she was, in the expansion of the South, and of slavery, its 'peculiar institution', into Central America
and the Caribbean
. In Mistress of Manifest Destiny (2001), Linda S. Hudson argued that it was Storm who actually wrote the "Annexation" editorial, and thus coined the phrase "Manifest Destiny". Since many editorials in John L. O'Sullivan
's publications were unsigned, Hudson used computer-aided "textual analysis" to support her argument. O'Sullivan biographer Robert D. Sampson disputes Hudson's claim for a variety of reasons.
's capture of the fortress of Vera Cruz in March 1847, the first female war correspondent in American history. At the end of the Mexican-American War she turned her attention to Cuba
, and the potential it represented, advocating its annexation, and denouncing its Spanish colonial overlords. She later settled at Eagle Pass
, a frontier village three hundred miles up the Rio Grande
from the Gulf of Mexico
, getting to know many of the local Indian chiefs.
. They moved to the Dominican Republic
in 1855. Despite her earlier sympathies for southern expansionism she disapproved of secession
, and was hired by William H. Seward
, Lincoln
's Secretary of State, to write denunciations of the Confederacy
. It was a matter of simple principle for Storms: the war was a serious interruption to further prospects of American expansion in the Caribbean.
She had lived a life of storms, and met death in the same fashion. In 1878 she was drowned on her way to Santo Domingo
, after the steamer on which she was travelling was caught in a huge storm.
Brunswick, New York
Brunswick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States that was originally settled in the early 18th century. During its history, it had been part of Albany County, Rensselaerswyck, and Troy, before its incorporation in 1807...
, Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
– December 12, 1878) was an American journalist, lobbyist, and publicist who advocated the annexation of all of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
during the Mexican-American War.
Education and early career
She was the daughter of Congressman William McManusWilliam McManus
William Telemachus McManus was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
and Catharine (Coons) McManus. She attended Troy Female Seminary
Emma Willard School
The Emma Willard School, originally called Troy Female Seminary and often referred to simply as "Emma," is an independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for young women, located in Troy, New York on Mount Ida, offering grades 9-12 and postgraduate coursework...
, one of the earliest colleges for women, but did not graduate. On August 22, 1825, she married Allen B. Storm. Their son, William Mt. Storm (b. August 2, 1826), became an inventor who patented in April 1853 an "Improved Process for Mixing Air and Steam for Actuating Engines.". They separated in 1831, and Allen Storm died 1838 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 1832, Jane's father ventured into land speculation, and was one of the founders of the Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...
and Texas Land Company, and Jane and her brother Robert traveled to Texas, which was then still part of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, to buy land. The next year, Jane, her father, her brother Robert and a company of German settlers set out to take possession of the land, but the scheme failed when the German settlers refused to go beyond Matagorda
Matagorda, Texas
Matagorda is an unincorporated community in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. It had a population of approximately 710 in 2000. Matagorda is at the end of State Highway 60 and beginning of Farm to Market Road 2031, which runs over the Intracoastal Waterway and south to the Gulf of Mexico...
. She returned home with her father to Brunswick, NY. Her brother Robert remained in Texas and eventually became a wealthy planter.
Writing
Then she turned to journalism, working for Horace GreeleyHorace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
's The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, and Moses Yale Beach
Moses Yale Beach
Moses Yale Beach was an American inventor and publisher who started the Associated Press.-Biography:He was born in Wallingford, Connecticut. His father was a plain farmer, and gave him an ordinary education. He early showed a mechanical aptitude, and at 14 was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker...
's New York Sun and the Democratic Review, strongly advocating manifest destiny
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrat-Republicans in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century.Advocates of...
. Storm embraced this with enthusiasm, and was to go on to be a firm believer, northerner though she was, in the expansion of the South, and of slavery, its 'peculiar institution', into Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. In Mistress of Manifest Destiny (2001), Linda S. Hudson argued that it was Storm who actually wrote the "Annexation" editorial, and thus coined the phrase "Manifest Destiny". Since many editorials in John L. O'Sullivan
John L. O'Sullivan
John Louis O'Sullivan was an American columnist and editor who used the term "Manifest Destiny" in 1845 to promote the annexation of Texas and the Oregon Country to the United States. O'Sullivan was an influential political writer and advocate for the Democratic Party at that time, but he faded...
's publications were unsigned, Hudson used computer-aided "textual analysis" to support her argument. O'Sullivan biographer Robert D. Sampson disputes Hudson's claim for a variety of reasons.
Mexican-American War
With the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, she went to the front, where she witnessed Winfield ScottWinfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
's capture of the fortress of Vera Cruz in March 1847, the first female war correspondent in American history. At the end of the Mexican-American War she turned her attention to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and the potential it represented, advocating its annexation, and denouncing its Spanish colonial overlords. She later settled at Eagle Pass
Eagle Pass, Texas
Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County The population was 27,183 as of the 2010 census.Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across the Rio Grande. The Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras Metropolitan Area is one of six...
, a frontier village three hundred miles up the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, getting to know many of the local Indian chiefs.
Caribbean
In 1849, she married William Leslie CazneauWilliam Leslie Cazneau
William Leslie Cazneau was a Texas pioneer and is credited with having buried the Alamo Heroes with full military honors.Cazneau was born in Boston and came to Texas in 1830. He was the older son of ship master William L. Cazneau . In the late 1840s, he married Jane McManus Storms Cazneau .His...
. They moved to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
in 1855. Despite her earlier sympathies for southern expansionism she disapproved of secession
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, and was hired by William H. Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
, Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's Secretary of State, to write denunciations of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. It was a matter of simple principle for Storms: the war was a serious interruption to further prospects of American expansion in the Caribbean.
She had lived a life of storms, and met death in the same fashion. In 1878 she was drowned on her way to Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, after the steamer on which she was travelling was caught in a huge storm.