John Letcher
Encyclopedia
John Letcher was an American lawyer
, journalist
, and politician
. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress
, was the 34th Governor
of Virginia
during the American Civil War
, and later served in the Virginia General Assembly
. He was also active on the Board of Visitors of Virginia Military Institute
.
in Rockbridge County, Virginia
. He attended private rural schools and Randolph-Macon College
in Ashland, Virginia
. In 1833, he was graduated from Washington Academy
in Lexington. He studied law was admitted to the Virginia State Bar and opened a practice in Lexington in 1839.
in that part of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains
; however, he soon repudiated this antislavery stand. He was a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1850.
He was elected as a Democratic candidate and served as a Representative in the United States Congress
from 1851–1859. In Congress, he was known as "Honest John" because of his opposition to government extravagance.
candidate William L. Goggin
, and served from 1860–1864. Letcher was prominent in the organization of the peace convention
that met in Washington, D.C.
, February 8, 1861, in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending American Civil War
. He discouraged secession, but was active in sustaining the ordinance passed by Virginia on April 17, 1861. Colonel John Brown Baldwin
defeated Letcher in May 1863 for a seat in the Second Confederate Congress
. In 1864, his home in Lexington was burned by Union
troops during General David Hunter
's raid.
1875–1877. He was a member of the Board of Visitors of the Virginia Military Institute
(VMI) 1866–1880 and served as president of the Board for ten years.
He died on January 26, 1884 at the age of 70, and was interred in the Presbyterian Cemetery (Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery) at Lexington, Virginia.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, was the 34th Governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
of Virginia
Virginia
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...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and later served in the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
. He was also active on the Board of Visitors of Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
.
Childhood, education
John Letcher was born in the town of LexingtonLexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
in Rockbridge County, Virginia
Rockbridge County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,808 people, 8,486 households, and 6,075 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 people per square mile . There were 9,550 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
. He attended private rural schools and Randolph-Macon College
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph–Macon College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Ashland, Virginia, United States, near the capital city of Richmond. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of over 1,200 students...
in Ashland, Virginia
Ashland, Virginia
Originally known as Slash Cottage, Ashland is located on the Old Washington Highway U.S. Route One and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, a busy north-south route now owned by CSX Transportation...
. In 1833, he was graduated from Washington Academy
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
in Lexington. He studied law was admitted to the Virginia State Bar and opened a practice in Lexington in 1839.
Lawyer, journalist, Congressman
Letcher was editor of the (Shenandoah) Valley Star newspaper from 1840 to 1850. He was active in the presidential campaigns of 1840, 1844, and 1848, serving as Democratic elector in 1848. Although never a true abolitionist, he signed the Ruffner Pamphlet of 1847, which proposed the abolition of slaverySlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in that part of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
; however, he soon repudiated this antislavery stand. He was a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1850.
He was elected as a Democratic candidate and served as a Representative in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
from 1851–1859. In Congress, he was known as "Honest John" because of his opposition to government extravagance.
American Civil War
John Letcher was elected as Governor of Virginia in 1859, defeating WhigWhig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
candidate William L. Goggin
William L. Goggin
William Leftwich Goggin was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from Virginia.-Biography:Born near Bunker Hill, Virginia , Goggin attended country schools and was eventually graduated from Tucker’s Law School. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1828, commencing practice in...
, and served from 1860–1864. Letcher was prominent in the organization of the peace convention
Peace conference of 1861
The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of more than 100 of the leading politicians of the antebellum United States held in Washington, D.C., in February 1861 that was meant to prevent what ultimately became the Civil War. The success of President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party in the...
that met in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, February 8, 1861, in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He discouraged secession, but was active in sustaining the ordinance passed by Virginia on April 17, 1861. Colonel John Brown Baldwin
John Brown Baldwin
John Brown Baldwin was a politician in Virginia during the American Civil War, when he served in the Confederate Congress.-Biography:...
defeated Letcher in May 1863 for a seat in the Second Confederate Congress
Second Confederate Congress
The Second Confederate Congress was the second and last regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the Second Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held at various dates in 1863 and 1864...
. In 1864, his home in Lexington was burned by Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
troops during General David Hunter
David Hunter
David Hunter was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.-Early...
's raid.
Postwar: General Assembly, VMI
After the Civil War, Letcher resumed the practice of law in Lexington. He was elected as a member of the House of Delegates in the Virginia General AssemblyVirginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
1875–1877. He was a member of the Board of Visitors of the Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
(VMI) 1866–1880 and served as president of the Board for ten years.
He died on January 26, 1884 at the age of 70, and was interred in the Presbyterian Cemetery (Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery) at Lexington, Virginia.
Books
Boney, F.N. (1966) John Letcher of Virginia; The Story of Virginia’s Civil War Governor. University, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 1966.Websites
- John Letcher in Union or Secession: Virginians Decide at the Library of VirginiaLibrary of VirginiaThe Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, its archival agency, and the reference library at the seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and is located at 800 East Broad Street, 2 blocks from the Virginia State...
- John Letcher in Encyclopedia Virginia
- US Congressional Biographies Online website
- Info Please article