John Camm
Encyclopedia
Rev. John Camm served as the seventh (and last Tory) president of the College of William and Mary
. He was a fierce Tory advocate of the prerogative of the Crown and the established Church.
, Yorkshire
, and educated in the school at nearby Beverley
, John Camm was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge
, on 16 June 1738, and took his B.A. in early 1742.
, in 1745. From 1749 to 1771, he served on the faculty of the College of William and Mary as professor of divinity
and was the minister of York-Hampton Parish, York County
. He served as the College of William and Mary President from 1772–1777, being succeeded by James Madison.
, Camm defied the authority of his local vestry
, the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary, and the colonial legislature in such disputes as the Two-Penny Acts controversies
and the American episcopate debates. During his career Camm wrote three lengthy pamphlet
s, a number of addresses to the King, several dozen essays to the gazettes, and some scattered poetry
. One of the most indefatigable letter writers of his generation, his epistolary art reflects the major debates of more than thirty years in Virginia. All in all, Camm made a valuable contribution to American Revolution
ary literature by stating cogently the minority viewpoint of Virginia Loyalists
.
Camm's great abilities were attested to by friend and foe alike, and his peers elected him to many positions of responsibility throughout his career in Virginia. Even Governor Francis Fauquier
, who disliked Camm and alluded in a letter to the Bishop of London
to Camm's delight "to raise a Flame and live in it," grudgingly admitted that Camm was a man of abilities. He was a leader in organizing clerical opposition to the Virginia legislature's Two-Penny Acts of 1755 and 1758. Each Anglican
clergyman was paid an annual salary of 16,000 pounds of tobacco
, which he sold at the prevailing market rate. Short tobacco crops in 1755 and 1758 inflated the price of tobacco, causing the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass temporary acts commuting the year's tobacco salaries into currency
at the rate of two pence per pound of tobacco. Clerical opposition to these acts began a debate that occupied the energies of the best minds in Virginia for more than eight years—debates significant far beyond their purely local origins. Most of the significant arguments about Crown prerogatives and colonial autonomy
expressed during the Stamp Act
crisis and the Revolutionary War were formed earlier during the Two-Penny Acts controversies. Camm was elected to carry the clergy's case to the Privy Council
in England
in 1758, where he successfully petitioned the King to disallow the Virginia acts. Upon returning to Virginia, Camm was drawn into a heated pamphlet war with two members of the Virginia legislature, Landon Carter
and Richard Bland
. In addition to his opposition to the Two-Penny Acts, Camm defied the Board of Visitors of the College in their attempts to curb the authority of the president and faculty, was dismissed from his faculty
position in 1757, appealed to England, and was reinstated in 1763.
During the summer and fall of 1771, Camm became president of William and Mary, rector of Bruton Parish Church
in Williamsburg
, commissary of the Bishop of London in Virginia, and a member of the Royal Council of Virginia. Just at this point, however, Camm participated in a public debate that was a continuation of his small vocal group of Anglican clergymen's resistance to secular authority. Although the Anglican church was technically the established church in Virginia, its government had never been established on a strong hierarchical basis, and local vestries exercised almost unchecked power. During the period 1770-1772, the clergy supported a move to create an American episcopate, thus raising the ire of the Virginia gentry
, who were already upset over excessive Crown prerogatives in America. A literary battle to which Camm lent his vigorous pen was waged in the Virginia Gazette in 1771-1774. This episcopate dispute was the deathblow to the established church in America. It is a testament to Camm's public respect that his outspoken Tory views never caused him to be molested even in the height of the episcopate dispute and the Revolution; he did not have to flee with Governor Dunmore, nor did he preach with pistols on his pulpit as did his friend Jonathan Boucher
. He died quietly in late 1778.
John Camm was not the great constitutionalist that Richard Bland was, nor was he as accomplished a writer as his contemporaries William Stitch and Thomas Jefferson
. As literature, however, his essay
s and pamphlets compare favorably in the mastery of a common tradition of rhetoric
and prose
style with any written in his generation in Virginia. He represents at its best that portion of Virginia society which looked at the same constitution
and laws upon which Richard Bland and Landon Carter wrote and saw there the "rights of Englishmen" in a quite different light.
In modern times, Camm Hall at the College's campus adjacent to Colonial Williamsburg
is named in his honor.
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
. He was a fierce Tory advocate of the prerogative of the Crown and the established Church.
Education
Born in 1718, in HornseaHornsea
Hornsea is a small seaside resort, town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England at the eastern end of the Trans Pennine Trail.-Overview:According to the 2001 UK Census, Hornsea parish had a population of 8,243....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and educated in the school at nearby Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, John Camm was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, on 16 June 1738, and took his B.A. in early 1742.
Career
He became the minister of Newport Parish, Isle of Wight County, VirginiaIsle of Wight County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 35,270 people, 11,319 households, and 8,670 families residing in the county. The population density was 94 people per square mile . There were 12,066 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, in 1745. From 1749 to 1771, he served on the faculty of the College of William and Mary as professor of divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
and was the minister of York-Hampton Parish, York County
York County, Virginia
York County is a county located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Situated on the York River and many tributaries, the county seat is the unincorporated town of Yorktown...
. He served as the College of William and Mary President from 1772–1777, being succeeded by James Madison.
Life
John Camm struggled for more than thirty years against the forces which eventually declared America independent of the Crown and disestablished the Church. As a leader of the Church-and-College party in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Camm defied the authority of his local vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary, and the colonial legislature in such disputes as the Two-Penny Acts controversies
Two Penny Act
The Two Penny Act, enacted in 1758 by the Virginia Assembly, is the act in which the Parson's Cause trial surrounded. The act was issued after three years of drought which produced a low yielding of tobacco crop....
and the American episcopate debates. During his career Camm wrote three lengthy pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
s, a number of addresses to the King, several dozen essays to the gazettes, and some scattered poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. One of the most indefatigable letter writers of his generation, his epistolary art reflects the major debates of more than thirty years in Virginia. All in all, Camm made a valuable contribution to American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
ary literature by stating cogently the minority viewpoint of Virginia Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
.
Camm's great abilities were attested to by friend and foe alike, and his peers elected him to many positions of responsibility throughout his career in Virginia. Even Governor Francis Fauquier
Francis Fauquier
Francis Fauquier was a Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Colony , and served as acting governor from 1758 until his death in 1768. He was married to Catherine Dalston....
, who disliked Camm and alluded in a letter to the Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
to Camm's delight "to raise a Flame and live in it," grudgingly admitted that Camm was a man of abilities. He was a leader in organizing clerical opposition to the Virginia legislature's Two-Penny Acts of 1755 and 1758. Each Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergyman was paid an annual salary of 16,000 pounds of tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, which he sold at the prevailing market rate. Short tobacco crops in 1755 and 1758 inflated the price of tobacco, causing the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass temporary acts commuting the year's tobacco salaries into currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
at the rate of two pence per pound of tobacco. Clerical opposition to these acts began a debate that occupied the energies of the best minds in Virginia for more than eight years—debates significant far beyond their purely local origins. Most of the significant arguments about Crown prerogatives and colonial autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
expressed during the Stamp Act
Stamp Act
A stamp act is any legislation that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents. Those that pay the tax receive an official stamp on their documents, making them legal documents. The taxes raised under a stamp act are called stamp duty. This system of taxation was first devised...
crisis and the Revolutionary War were formed earlier during the Two-Penny Acts controversies. Camm was elected to carry the clergy's case to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1758, where he successfully petitioned the King to disallow the Virginia acts. Upon returning to Virginia, Camm was drawn into a heated pamphlet war with two members of the Virginia legislature, Landon Carter
Landon Carter
Landon Carter was a planter from Virginia, best known for his account of life before the American War of Independence, The Diary of Colonel Landon Carter.-Biography:...
and Richard Bland
Richard Bland
Richard Bland , sometimes referred to as Richard Bland II or Richard Bland of Jordan's Point, was an American planter and statesman from Virginia...
. In addition to his opposition to the Two-Penny Acts, Camm defied the Board of Visitors of the College in their attempts to curb the authority of the president and faculty, was dismissed from his faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
position in 1757, appealed to England, and was reinstated in 1763.
During the summer and fall of 1771, Camm became president of William and Mary, rector of Bruton Parish Church
Bruton Parish Church
Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. It was established in 1674 in the Virginia Colony, and remains an active Episcopal parish.-History of Bruton Parish Church:...
in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
, commissary of the Bishop of London in Virginia, and a member of the Royal Council of Virginia. Just at this point, however, Camm participated in a public debate that was a continuation of his small vocal group of Anglican clergymen's resistance to secular authority. Although the Anglican church was technically the established church in Virginia, its government had never been established on a strong hierarchical basis, and local vestries exercised almost unchecked power. During the period 1770-1772, the clergy supported a move to create an American episcopate, thus raising the ire of the Virginia gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
, who were already upset over excessive Crown prerogatives in America. A literary battle to which Camm lent his vigorous pen was waged in the Virginia Gazette in 1771-1774. This episcopate dispute was the deathblow to the established church in America. It is a testament to Camm's public respect that his outspoken Tory views never caused him to be molested even in the height of the episcopate dispute and the Revolution; he did not have to flee with Governor Dunmore, nor did he preach with pistols on his pulpit as did his friend Jonathan Boucher
Jonathan Boucher
Jonathan Boucher was an English clergyman, teacher and philologist.-Early career:Boucher was born in Blencogo, near Wigton, Cumberland, and educated at the Wigton grammar school. After training in Workington, Jonathan became a teacher at St Bees School and in 1759 went to Virginia, where he became...
. He died quietly in late 1778.
John Camm was not the great constitutionalist that Richard Bland was, nor was he as accomplished a writer as his contemporaries William Stitch and Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. As literature, however, his essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s and pamphlets compare favorably in the mastery of a common tradition of rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
and prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
style with any written in his generation in Virginia. He represents at its best that portion of Virginia society which looked at the same constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
and laws upon which Richard Bland and Landon Carter wrote and saw there the "rights of Englishmen" in a quite different light.
Heritage
During his career Camm wrote three lengthy pamphlets, a number of addresses to the King, several dozen essays to the gazettes, and some scattered poetry. One of the most indefatigable letter writers of his generation, his epistolary art reflects the major debates of more than thirty years in Virginia. All in all, Camm made a valuable contribution to American Revolutionary literature by stating cogently the minority viewpoint of Virginia Loyalists.In modern times, Camm Hall at the College's campus adjacent to Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
is named in his honor.