John Robb Letter
John Robb wrote this letter to Horace Maynard on June 20, 1860. In it, Robb explains why Mr. Lewis' pension benefits have been suspended and indicates that these benefits can be reinstated if sufficient evidence that Lewis was suspended unjustly can be produced.
Dates
- 1860 June 20
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
John Robb wrote this letter to Horace Maynard on June 20, 1860. In it, Robb explains why Mr. Lewis' pension benefits have been suspended and indicates that these benefits can be reinstated if sufficient evidence that Lewis was suspended unjustly can be produced.
Biographical/Historical Note
John Robb was born in Baltimore, Maryland in about 1791. He served on General Andrew Jackson's staff at New Orleans, and Jackson rewarded his service by appointing him chief clerk in the War Department. During the frequent absences of Secretary of War Lewis Cass, Robb acted in his stead. In 1833, Robb was placed in charge of the Springfield (Mass.) Armory, where he remained until the office became a military position in 1841. He was then appointed to various government clerkships and was working as chief clerk to Commissioner of Pensions George C. Whiting of Virginia in 1861. Robb died in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 1869.
Horace Maynard (August 30, 1814-May 3, 1882) was born in Westboro, Massachusetts. He graduated from Amherst College in 1838 and came to East Tennessee College (now the University of Tennessee, Knoxville) to teach in the fall. He was quickly promoted, first to teach math, then ancient languages and literature. He also studied law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1844.
Maynard also involved himself in politics. He served as presidential elector twice, first on the Whig ticket in 1852 and then on the Republican ticket in 1856. He was unsuccessful in his first bid for national office in 1853 but was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1857. He was re-elected twice and served until Tennessee seceded from the Union. He went on to serve as the Attorney General of Tennessee (1863-1865) and as a delegate to the Southern Loyalist Convention in Philadelphia (1866).
After Tennessee was readmitted to the Union, Maynard was once again elected to the U. S. House of Representatives. He served until 1875, but chose not to run for re-election in 1874 in order to campaign (unsuccessfully) for the governorship of Tennessee. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him U. S. Ambassador to Turkey in 1875, and he remained at this post until May of 1880. President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed him Postmaster General in June of 1880, and he served until 1881. Maynard died in Knoxville, Tennessee and is buried in Old Gray Cemetery.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository