Mrs. Barney's Letter to Andrew Jackson, President of the United States
This broadside, entitled Mrs. Barney's Letter to Andrew Jackson, President of the United States, was printed by Henry Bowen's Chemical Print in Boston. It features correspondence between Andrew Jackson Donelson and Mary Barney, whose husband, Major W. B. Barney, was dismissed by Jackson because of his support for John Quincy Adams instead of Jackson in the 1828 presidential election. In response to Donelson's letter dismissing her request for the return of testimonials she made on behalf of her husband, Mrs. Barney wrote a letter harshly criticizing Jackson's theory of rotation in office, which he used to justify Major Barney's dismissal. Barney defends her husband's patriotism, pointing out that both she and her husband are descended from staunch Revolutionaries, and reminds Jackson that although her husband had different political ideals, he was not Jackson's enemy.
Dates
- 1829 April 22-June 13
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
This broadside, entitled Mrs. Barney's Letter to Andrew Jackson, President of the United States, was printed by Henry Bowen's Chemical Print in Boston. It features correspondence between Andrew Jackson Donelson and Mary Barney, whose husband, Major W. B. Barney, was dismissed by Jackson because of his support for John Quincy Adams instead of Jackson in the 1828 presidential election.
Biographical/Historical Note
Mary Barney, daughter of Judge Samuel Chase (who signed the United States Declaration of Independence), was born on May 1, 1785 in Baltimore, Maryland. She was married to Major William Bedford Barney, son of Revolutionary naval hero Commodore Joshua Barney. The couple had at least nine children: Caroline Chase (Barney) Oldfield (1809-1896), Samuel Chase (1810-1819), Ann (1812-1812), Mary Chase (Barney) Rogers (1813-1887), Eliza (1816-1819), Samuel Chase (1819-1886), Charlotte (1825-1839), Clara Louise (1827-1829), and Merriam Monroe (Barney) Postell. Mary Barney achieved fame after writing a scathing letter criticizing President Andrew Jackson for removing her husband from office because he supported John Quincy Adams in the 1828 presidential election. She died on June 30, 1872.
Major Andrew Jackson Donelson was the adopted nephew and private secretary of President Andrew Jackson. He was the son of Samuel and Mary Donelson. Donelson attended Cumberland College in Nashville, Tenn. before moving on to West Point. After graduating West Point, he eventually became a Major General in the United States Army. His wife, Emily, served as the White House Hostess and the unofficial First Lady. In 1844, President Tyler appointed Donelson chargé d'affaires of the United States to the Republic of Texas. In 1856, Donelson was nominated as a running mate of Millard Fillmore on the American Party ticket; however, their bid for the White House ended with only 8 electoral votes. He died in June of 1871.
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. Born in 1767 in the frontier settlement of the Waxhaws in South Carolina, Jackson moved to Salisbury, NC in 1784 and received his license to practice law in 1787, beginning his practice in North Carolina's Western District in Washington County (now a part of Tennessee). In October 1788, he moved to Nashville, where he met his wife Rachel. After serving as the major general of the Tennessee militia for twenty years and earning recognition as a military leader in the War of 1812, Jackson was elected to the U. S. Senate in 1823 and to the presidency in 1828. After serving two terms as president, Jackson returned to the Hermitage, his Nashville home, in early 1837. Eight years later, in 1845, Jackson died at his home at the age of 78.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Special Collections purchased this broadside.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository