History of Scott County Kentucky United States of America

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Biographies:

Robert Ward Johnson, senator, was born in Scott county, Ky., July 22, 1814; son of Judge Benjamin Johnson, 1784-1849, and grandson of Robert Johnson, pioneer, 1779. He was educated at the neighboring school in Scott county and in 1821 removed with his father to Arkansas. He attended the Indian academy near Frankfort, Ky.; was graduated from St. Joseph's college, Bardstown, Ky., in 1833, and from Yale, LL.B., in 1835; was admitted to the bar in 1835, and practised his profession at Little Rock, Ark., 1835-47. He was prosecuting attorney for the Little Rock circuit, 1840-42, and attorney-general of the state, ex officio. He was defeated for Democratic representative in the state legislature by a few votes in 1840, and by one vote in 1842, and was elected a representative in the 30th, 31st and 32d congresses, 1847-53, declining further election. He was appointed U.S. senator by Governor Conway to fill the unexpired term of Dr. Solon Borland, who resigned his seat in 1853 to become U.S. minister to Nicaragua. When the legislature convened he was unanimously elected, not only to fill the unexpired term, but to a full term ending March 4, 1861. He was a States' rights Democrat and sustained the position advanced by John C. Calhoun in opposition to Henry Clay. He declined re-election in 1861 and was elected a delegate to the provisional Confederate government at Montgomery, Ala., and in November, 1862, to the Confederate States senate, where he served until that government closed, when he fled to Texas with the intention of joining a proposed colony of ex-Confederates in Mexico. On his way he met Gen. Gordon Granger, who persuaded him to remain in the United States, as all ex-Confederates had been promised protection in their property rights by President Johnson, and he returned to his estate in Jefferson county, Ark., which, however, after two years' struggle, went to his creditors and he again took up the practice of law in Washington, D.C., in partnership with Gen. Albert Pike. In 1877 his political disabilities were removed and he was a candidate for U.S. senator, but was defeated by J. D. Walker. He died at Little Rock, Ark., July 26, 1879.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Daniel Pope Cook, representative, was born in Scott county, Ky., in 1795. He practised law in Kaskaskia, Ill., 1815-16, and was editor of the Illinois Intelligencer in 1816, the only paper then published in the territory. He removed to Edwardsville and was the first attorney-general of the state, serving from March 15 to Oct. 15, 1819, and was subsequently judge of the western circuit. He was the representative from Illinois in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th congresses, 1819-27, and first introduced in the state the custom of stump speaking in his canvass of 1818. In the 19th congress he was acting chairman of the committee on ways and means. He was married to Julia Catherine, daughter of Ninian Edwards. Cook county was named in his honor in 1831. He died in Scott county, Ky., Oct. 16, 1827.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John McAuley Palmer, senator, was born at Eagle Creek, Scott county, Ky., Sept. 13, 1817; son of Louis D. and Ann (Tutt) Palmer, both natives of Virginia, and great-grandson of Charles McAuley, who emigrated from Ireland. His great-grandfather, Thomas Palmer, came to Virginia from England, and his grandfather, Isaac Palmer, was a soldier in the American Revolution, 1776-84. His father was a soldier in Col. John Allen's regiment in the war of 1812. He escaped the massacre at Raisin River and was married in 1813. The family removed to Christian county, Ky., during John's boyhood, and in 1831 to within ten miles of Alton, Ill. He received his first instruction from Isaiah Boone; learned the trade of plasterer; attended Alton college in 1834, but leaving for lack of means to pay his tuition, was employed as a cooper, peddler and school teacher; studied law, 1835-38; was admitted to the bar in 1839, and practised in Carlinville, Ill., 1839-61. He was the defeated Democratic candidate for county clerk in 1839, and in 1840 he supported Martin Van Buren for president. He was judge of probate for Macoupin county, Ill., 1843-47; a member of the state constitutional convention of 1847; judge of probate, 1848; county judge, 1849-51, and a member of the Illinois senate, 1852-54. As a Democrat he did not agree with his party on the slavery question, resigned from the senate in 1854, and was elected by the anti-Nebraska faction in 1855. He was president of the Republican state convention of 1856, resigned his seat in the senate a second time in 1856, and was a delegate to the Republican national convention at Philadelphia, June 17, 1856, where he supported the nomination of Judge McLean for the presidency, although he preferred Fremont and worked privately for his nomination. He was defeated as Republican candidate for representative in the 36th congress in 1858; was an elector at large from Illinois on the Lincoln and Hamlin ticket in 1861; a delegate to the Peace congress at Washington, D.C., in February, 1861, and was elected colonel of the 14th Illinois infantry in April, 1861. He accompanied Gen. John C. Fr?mont in his expedition to Springfield, Mo.; was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers, Dec. 20, 1861; assigned to the command of the 3d division under Gen. John Pope, and took part in the capture of New Madrid, March 14, and Island No. 10, April 8, 1862. He commanded the 1st brigade, 1st division, Army of the Mississippi, during the siege of Corinth, April 30-May 30, and was ordered home May 29, on account of sickness. He organized the 122d Illinois volunteers in August, 1862, and in the following September was assigned to the command of the 4th (afterward the 1st) division, Crittenden's left wing, Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland, at the battle of Stone River, Nov. 29, 1862, where he was promoted major-general of volunteers, and in the battle of Chickamauga commanded the 2d division, 1st army corps, Sept. 19-20, 1863. He commanded the 14th army corps in the Chattanooga campaign and in the Atlanta campaign until August, 1864, when he was assigned to the military division of Kentucky, where he was military governor and had charge of the Freedman's bureau, and was mustered out of the service, Sept. 1, 1866. He was the Republican governor of Illinois, 1869-73, declined renomination in 1872, and returned to the Democratic party. He was active in the canvass of 1876, speaking in all parts of the country for Tilden and Hendricks. He was the defeated Democratic candidate for U.S. senator in 1877, when John A. Logan was elected, and in 1883, when Governor Cullom was elected. He was defeated for governor of Illinois in 1888 by Joseph W. Filer, and was elected to the U.S. senate by the Democratic legislature in 1891, serving 1891-97. In 1896 he refused to indorse the platform adopted by the Democratic national convention at Chicago, and when the national convention of the Gold Democrats met at Indianapolis, Sept. 2, 1896, General Palmer accepted the nomination for President, with Simon B. Buckner of Kentucky for Vice-President. In the election of November, the Palmer and Bucknet electors received 133,148 popular votes, but none in the electoral college. In the presidential canvass of 1900, General Palmer supported the Republican nominees and announced his intention to vote for McKinley and Roosevelt electors. He was married in December, 1842, to Malinda, daughter of Julius Neely. Mrs. Palmer died in 1886. They had ten children, and at Senator Palmer's death, two sons and four daughters survived. His eldest son, John Mayo Palmer, was his law partner, and his youngest son, L. J. Palmer, was a lawyer at Rock Springs, Wyo. In 1888 he married as his second wife Mrs. Hannah M. Kimball, daughter of J. L. Lamb of Springfield, Ill. In 1899 congress voted him a pension of $100 per month. His personal recollections, The Story of an Earnest Life, were published in 1901. He died in Springfield, Ill., Sept. 25, 1900.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Gustavus Adolphus Henry, senator, was born in Scott county, Ky., Oct. 8, 1804; son of Gen. William Henry. He was educated at Transylvania university, graduating in 1825; practised law, and represented Christian county, Ky., in the state legislature, 1831 and 1833. He was married in 1833 to Marion McClure, of Clarksville, Tenn., and he made that city his home. He was a Whig candidate for elector in 1840; an unsuccessful candidate for representative in the 27th congress in 1842; a Whig candidate for elector for the state at large, 1844, 1848 and 1852; a representative in the state legislature, 1851-52; and unsuccessful candidate for governor against Andrew Johnson in 1853. He was a delegate to the Union national convention of 1860, that met at Baltimore and nominated Bell and Everett. He joined the Confederate cause in 1861 and was a Confederate States senator, 1861-65, a firm supporter of the policy of President Davis. In July, 1863, when the news of the fall of Vicksburg reached the Confederate capital he made a notable speech in the C.S. senate that would have won for him renown if it had been pronounced under more favorable conditions for publicity. After the war he resumed the practice of law but took no part in public affairs. He died in Clarksville, Tenn., Sept. 10, 1880.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Scott County Kentucky

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