John Williams (Tennessee)
Encyclopedia
John Williams was an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman, operating primarily out of Knoxville, Tennessee
, in the first part of the 19th century. He represented Tennessee
in the United States Senate
from 1815 to 1823, when he lost reelection to Andrew Jackson
. Williams also served as colonel of the 39th U.S. Infantry during the Creek Wars, and played a key role in Jackson's victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. He later distanced himself from Jackson, and aligned himself with John Quincy Adams
and Henry Clay
. Adams appointed him chargé d'affaires
to the Central American Federation in 1825.
(then part of Surry County
), the third of twelve children of Joseph and Rebecca Lanier Williams. His father was of Welsh descent, and his mother was descended from French Huguenots. Two of Williams' brothers, Lewis Williams
and Robert Williams
, served as U.S. congressmen in the 19th century. His other brother, Thomas Lanier Williams, was a prominent Tennessee judge. Williams was also the cousin of Congressman Marmaduke Williams
.
Williams studied law in Salisbury, North Carolina
, in the late 1790s, and served as a captain in the 6th U.S. Infantry, from 1799 to 1800. Shortly afterward, he relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee
, where he was admitted to the bar in 1803. Around 1805, he married Melinda White, daughter of Knoxville's founder, James White
.
In 1807, Williams was appointed Tennessee's attorney general, and served in this capacity until the following year. In 1811, he led a mass meeting of Knox County citizens that condemned Archibald Roane
for resigning from the state legislature to run for circuit court judge. In a letter published in a local newspaper, Williams blasted Roane as too selfish and too much of a drunkard to be a faithful judge.
, Williams raised a small company of some 200 to 250 volunteers, primarily from Tennessee and Georgia, with the intention of invading Florida and attacking the Seminole
tribe. Williams and other leaders on the frontier suspected that Spain would eventually join the British side in the war, and would encourage the Seminoles to attack frontier settlements in southern Georgia. Williams and his volunteers invaded Florida in early February 1813, and destroyed several Seminole villages, burning over 300 houses, and stealing a large number of horses and other livestock. After reporting that the Seminole country was "completely in waste," Williams returned to East Tennessee, and his volunteers were mustered out shortly afterward.
In June 1813, Williams was commissioned in the U.S. Army as a colonel, and ordered to recruit and organize the 39th U.S. Infantry for the purpose of engaging the hostile Red Stick Creeks
. Within a few weeks, Williams had managed to recruit and partially equip 600 troops. In early 1814, Williams and the 39th were placed under the command of Andrew Jackson, who was preparing an expedition against the Red Sticks in Alabama
.
On March 27, Jackson attacked the Red Stick camp on the Tallapoosa River
, initiating the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. At the height of this battle, Williams and the 39th, which comprised Jackson's main line, charged and captured the log barricade with which the Creeks had fortified the riverbend, forcing the Creeks to flee. In his report on the battle, Jackson commended the actions of Williams and several other officers of the 39th. Soldiers who fought under Williams at this battle included future Arkansas senator Thomas Hart Benton and future Tennessee and Texas governor, Sam Houston
.
Following the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Williams went to Washington, D.C., to raise money for the 39th, and gradually acquired a sizable cache of weapons. Throughout 1814, Williams and Jackson bickered over these weapons, with Jackson demanding that Williams give them to a militia company in Tennessee, and Williams arguing that federal arms could not be distributed to militia companies. Jackson questioned Williams' loyalty, and Williams questioned Jackson's authority.
(who had been appointed to the seat a few months earlier following the resignation of George W. Campbell
). In 1817, Williams was reelected to a full six-year term. Williams voted in favor of the Second Bank of the United States
in 1816, opposed the Bonus Bill of 1817
, and voted for the Missouri Compromise
of 1820. He was also chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs
, and oversaw a reduction of the armed forces.
In 1819, following Jackson's invasion of Florida (then part of Spain), another dispute erupted between Williams and Jackson. Jackson accused Williams of spreading a rumor that Jackson had launched the invasion to protect personal land investments in the Pensacola
area, and argued that Williams was assailing his character in private conversations in Washington. In 1821, Williams was one of just four senators to vote against the Adams–Onís Treaty, in which Spain ceded Florida to the United States.
In 1823, Williams made it clear that he was going to support William H. Crawford
(another enemy of Jackson) for the presidency, leading Jackson's allies in Tennessee to seek Williams' removal from the Senate. When they were unable to find a candidate with enough support to defeat Williams, Jackson agreed to become a candidate for Williams' seat. Though Williams had the support of the influential Knoxville Register
and rising politician Davy Crockett
, he lost to Jackson by a margin of 35 votes to 25 at a contentious meeting of the state legislature on October 1, 1823.
pondered appointing Williams Secretary of War, but was dissuaded by Henry Clay
, who thought the appointment should go to someone from New York. Adams eventually appointed Williams chargé d'affaires
to the Central American Federation, and Williams thus spent most of 1826 at this post in Guatemala
.
In 1827, Williams again ran for Knox County's state senate seat. In spite of staunch opposition from Jackson's allies (including Williams' brother-in-law, Hugh Lawson White
, who referred to Williams as a "mean politician who can get no man to lye upon him"), Williams won the election, 1,585 to 1,216. During his term, he introduced a bill calling for the construction of a turnpike connecting Anderson County
and Kentucky, a bill providing relief for female debtors, and legislation seeking greater oversight of the Bank of Tennessee. He retired from the state senate in 1829.
Williams spent his later years practicing law and advocating railroad construction. He rejected several invitations to run for Congress, stating he had no desire to go to Washington and serve at the "bow of the emperor," in reference to then-President Jackson. Williams died on August 10, 1837, and was interred in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Knoxville.
). This subdivision was bounded by what is now Henley Street (which at the time was the city's western boundary), Main Street, the riverfront, and Second Creek. The area is now occupied by Maplehurst Park and the Church Street Methodist Church.
In 1826, while Williams was in Guatemala, his wife oversaw the construction of a new family home in East Knoxville, now known as the Colonel John Williams House
. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Williams' son, Joseph Lanier Williams
, served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1837 to 1843). Another son, John Williams II, was a prominent pro-Union leader during the Civil War, and served as vice president of the East Tennessee Convention of 1861
, which sought to create a separate, Union-aligned state in East Tennessee. John Williams was the great-grandfather of Admiral Richmond P. Hobson, and the great-great-grandfather of noted playwright, Tennessee Williams
.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, in the first part of the 19th century. He represented Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1815 to 1823, when he lost reelection to Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
. Williams also served as colonel of the 39th U.S. Infantry during the Creek Wars, and played a key role in Jackson's victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. He later distanced himself from Jackson, and aligned himself with John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
and Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
. Adams appointed him chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
to the Central American Federation in 1825.
Early life
Williams was born in what is now Forsyth County, North CarolinaForsyth County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 306,067 people, 123,851 households, and 81,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 747 people per square mile . There were 133,093 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...
(then part of Surry County
Surry County, North Carolina
Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 73,673. Its county seat is Dobson.- History :The county was formed in 1771 from Rowan County...
), the third of twelve children of Joseph and Rebecca Lanier Williams. His father was of Welsh descent, and his mother was descended from French Huguenots. Two of Williams' brothers, Lewis Williams
Lewis Williams
For the Welsh rugby union player see Lewis Williams Lewis Williams was a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1815 and 1842....
and Robert Williams
Robert Williams (American politician)
Robert Williams was a Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1797 and 1803 and the Governor of the Mississippi Territory from 1805 to 1809...
, served as U.S. congressmen in the 19th century. His other brother, Thomas Lanier Williams, was a prominent Tennessee judge. Williams was also the cousin of Congressman Marmaduke Williams
Marmaduke Williams
Marmaduke Williams was a Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina from 1803 to 1809.Born in Caswell County, North Carolina, Williams studied law and was admitted to the North Carolina bar. He was elected to the North Carolina State Senate, serving 1802, and then was elected that...
.
Williams studied law in Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in Rowan County in North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. The population was 33,663 in the 2010 Census . It is the county seat of Rowan County...
, in the late 1790s, and served as a captain in the 6th U.S. Infantry, from 1799 to 1800. Shortly afterward, he relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, where he was admitted to the bar in 1803. Around 1805, he married Melinda White, daughter of Knoxville's founder, James White
James White (general)
James White was an American pioneer and soldier who founded Knoxville, Tennessee, in the early 1790s. Born in Rowan County, North Carolina, White served as a captain in the county's militia during the American Revolutionary War...
.
In 1807, Williams was appointed Tennessee's attorney general, and served in this capacity until the following year. In 1811, he led a mass meeting of Knox County citizens that condemned Archibald Roane
Archibald Roane
Archibald Roane was the second Governor of Tennessee, serving from 1801 to 1803.-Biography:Roane was born in 1759 or 1760 in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, then a part of Lancaster County. He was the son of Andrew and Margaret Walker Roane...
for resigning from the state legislature to run for circuit court judge. In a letter published in a local newspaper, Williams blasted Roane as too selfish and too much of a drunkard to be a faithful judge.
Military activities (1812–1815)
In late 1812, at the outbreak of the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Williams raised a small company of some 200 to 250 volunteers, primarily from Tennessee and Georgia, with the intention of invading Florida and attacking the Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
tribe. Williams and other leaders on the frontier suspected that Spain would eventually join the British side in the war, and would encourage the Seminoles to attack frontier settlements in southern Georgia. Williams and his volunteers invaded Florida in early February 1813, and destroyed several Seminole villages, burning over 300 houses, and stealing a large number of horses and other livestock. After reporting that the Seminole country was "completely in waste," Williams returned to East Tennessee, and his volunteers were mustered out shortly afterward.
In June 1813, Williams was commissioned in the U.S. Army as a colonel, and ordered to recruit and organize the 39th U.S. Infantry for the purpose of engaging the hostile Red Stick Creeks
Red Sticks
Red Sticks is the English term for a traditionalist faction of Creek Indians who led a resistance movement which culminated in the outbreak of the Creek War in 1813....
. Within a few weeks, Williams had managed to recruit and partially equip 600 troops. In early 1814, Williams and the 39th were placed under the command of Andrew Jackson, who was preparing an expedition against the Red Sticks in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
On March 27, Jackson attacked the Red Stick camp on the Tallapoosa River
Tallapoosa River
The Tallapoosa River runs from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, in the United States, southward and westward into Alabama. It is formed by the confluence of McClendon Creek and Mud Creek in Paulding County, Georgia. Lake Martin at Alexander City, Alabama is a large and...
, initiating the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. At the height of this battle, Williams and the 39th, which comprised Jackson's main line, charged and captured the log barricade with which the Creeks had fortified the riverbend, forcing the Creeks to flee. In his report on the battle, Jackson commended the actions of Williams and several other officers of the 39th. Soldiers who fought under Williams at this battle included future Arkansas senator Thomas Hart Benton and future Tennessee and Texas governor, Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
.
Following the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Williams went to Washington, D.C., to raise money for the 39th, and gradually acquired a sizable cache of weapons. Throughout 1814, Williams and Jackson bickered over these weapons, with Jackson demanding that Williams give them to a militia company in Tennessee, and Williams arguing that federal arms could not be distributed to militia companies. Jackson questioned Williams' loyalty, and Williams questioned Jackson's authority.
United States Senate
In 1815, Williams was chosen to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the resignation of Jesse WhartonJesse Wharton
Jesse Wharton was an attorney who briefly represented Tennessee in each house of Congress.-Biography:Wharton was born in Albemarle County, Virginia and studied law and was admitted to the Virginia bar. Moving to Tennessee, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives from that...
(who had been appointed to the seat a few months earlier following the resignation of George W. Campbell
George W. Campbell
George Washington Campbell was an American statesman who served as a U.S. Representative, Senator, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice, U.S...
). In 1817, Williams was reelected to a full six-year term. Williams voted in favor of the Second Bank of the United States
Second Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the...
in 1816, opposed the Bonus Bill of 1817
Bonus Bill of 1817
The Bonus Bill of 1817 was proposed legislation introduced by John C. Calhoun to provide a federal highway linking the East and South to the West using the earnings bonus from the Second Bank of the United States. Opponents feared that providing the means for settlers to travel would drain their...
, and voted for the Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
of 1820. He was also chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs
United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
, and oversaw a reduction of the armed forces.
In 1819, following Jackson's invasion of Florida (then part of Spain), another dispute erupted between Williams and Jackson. Jackson accused Williams of spreading a rumor that Jackson had launched the invasion to protect personal land investments in the Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
area, and argued that Williams was assailing his character in private conversations in Washington. In 1821, Williams was one of just four senators to vote against the Adams–Onís Treaty, in which Spain ceded Florida to the United States.
In 1823, Williams made it clear that he was going to support William H. Crawford
William H. Crawford
William Harris Crawford was an American politician and judge during the early 19th century. He served as United States Secretary of War from 1815 to 1816 and United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1816 to 1825, and was a candidate for President of the United States in 1824.-Political...
(another enemy of Jackson) for the presidency, leading Jackson's allies in Tennessee to seek Williams' removal from the Senate. When they were unable to find a candidate with enough support to defeat Williams, Jackson agreed to become a candidate for Williams' seat. Though Williams had the support of the influential Knoxville Register
Knoxville Register
The Knoxville Register was an American newspaper published primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the 19th century. Founded in 1816, the paper was East Tennessee's dominant newspaper until 1863, when its pro-secession editor, Jacob Austin Sperry , was forced to flee advancing Union forces at the...
and rising politician Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
, he lost to Jackson by a margin of 35 votes to 25 at a contentious meeting of the state legislature on October 1, 1823.
Later life
After losing his U.S. Senate seat, Williams ran for Knox County's state senate seat in 1825, but lost to James Anderson by a vote of 982 to 931. President John Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
pondered appointing Williams Secretary of War, but was dissuaded by Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, who thought the appointment should go to someone from New York. Adams eventually appointed Williams chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
to the Central American Federation, and Williams thus spent most of 1826 at this post in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
In 1827, Williams again ran for Knox County's state senate seat. In spite of staunch opposition from Jackson's allies (including Williams' brother-in-law, Hugh Lawson White
Hugh Lawson White
Hugh Lawson White was a prominent American politician during the first third of the 19th century. He succeeded Andrew Jackson and served in the United States Senate, representing Tennessee, from 1825 until his resignation in 1840, and was a Whig candidate for President in 1836...
, who referred to Williams as a "mean politician who can get no man to lye upon him"), Williams won the election, 1,585 to 1,216. During his term, he introduced a bill calling for the construction of a turnpike connecting Anderson County
Anderson County, Tennessee
Anderson County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, its population is 75,129. Its county seat is Clinton.It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and Kentucky, a bill providing relief for female debtors, and legislation seeking greater oversight of the Bank of Tennessee. He retired from the state senate in 1829.
Williams spent his later years practicing law and advocating railroad construction. He rejected several invitations to run for Congress, stating he had no desire to go to Washington and serve at the "bow of the emperor," in reference to then-President Jackson. Williams died on August 10, 1837, and was interred in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Knoxville.
Family and legacy
In 1816, Williams made plans to develop a subdivision, "Williamsburg," on what was then the outskirts of Knoxville (now part of the Downtown areaDowntown Knoxville
Downtown Knoxville is the downtown area of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It contains the city's central business district and primary city and county municipal offices. It is also home to several retail establishments, residential buildings, and the city's convention center...
). This subdivision was bounded by what is now Henley Street (which at the time was the city's western boundary), Main Street, the riverfront, and Second Creek. The area is now occupied by Maplehurst Park and the Church Street Methodist Church.
In 1826, while Williams was in Guatemala, his wife oversaw the construction of a new family home in East Knoxville, now known as the Colonel John Williams House
Colonel John Williams House
The Colonel John Williams House in Knoxville, Tennessee, was built in 1825-1826 by Melinda White Williams, wife of Colonel John Williams, while he was away serving as Charge'de Affairs to Guatemala for President John Quincy Adams...
. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Williams' son, Joseph Lanier Williams
Joseph Lanier Williams
Joseph Lanier Williams was an American politician that represented Tennessee's third district in the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:...
, served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1837 to 1843). Another son, John Williams II, was a prominent pro-Union leader during the Civil War, and served as vice president of the East Tennessee Convention of 1861
East Tennessee Convention of 1861
The East Tennessee Convention consisted of a series of meetings held in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War in which 29 counties in East Tennessee and one county in Middle Tennessee denounced secessionist activities within the state of Tennessee and resolved to break away and form an...
, which sought to create a separate, Union-aligned state in East Tennessee. John Williams was the great-grandfather of Admiral Richmond P. Hobson, and the great-great-grandfather of noted playwright, Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
.