Andrew J. Fletcher Political Circular
Andrew J. Fletcher published this circular in order to refute accusations made by Mr. Bullen, his Republican opponent in the state senate race. Bullen’s previous circular accused him of voting for more papers than necessary, of reducing jurors’ pay by twenty five cents, of passing tax reform laws, and of revising the payment structure for tax assessors. Bullen also stated that all lawyers are corrupt. Fletcher refutes the charges, turns several back on Bullen, and then adds additional ones. He accuses Bullen of voting to raise the pay for the mulatto who swept the House and kept good liquor, of accomplishing very little during his term in the state House of Representatives, of presenting a bill that would have oppressed the poor, and of not objecting when the celebrated fraudulent Bank charters were passed.
Dates
- 1857 July 7
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
Andrew J. Fletcher published this circular in order to refute accusations made by Mr. Bullen, his Republican opponent in the state senate race. Fletcher refutes the charges, turns several back on Bullen, and then adds additional ones.
Biographical/Historical Note
Andrew J. Fletcher was born on June 21, 1820 in Carter County, Tennessee to John and Leah (Brooks) Fletcher. He was educated at Washington College and briefly practiced law in Elizabethtown before moving to Cocke County. He married his first wife, Cath, in Cocke County, and they had three children together, Mary, Emma, and James. Sometime later, he married his second wife, Emily, and they had five children, Andrew, Sarah, Rose, Jane, and John. Fletcher moved to Greeneville, Tennessee in 1859, and it was here that he killed Robert Mason in 1860, an event that was judged to be self-defense. His political career began in 1855 when he won the first of two state senate races. Because he was an avowed Unionist, he lived in exile in Evansville, Indiana during the Civil War, and campaigned for Lincoln from there. After the war, he served as Tennessee’s Secretary of State from 1865 to 1870, when he retired back to Cleveland, Tennessee. On June 3, 1867, he gave a celebrated speech that defended W.G. Brownlow’s record as governor. O.P. Temple referred to one of Fletcher’s speeches as the source of the term carpet bag government. Fletcher died in July of 1870.
Lloyd Bullen was born on January 6, 1812 to Joseph Bullen II and his wife Jane (Ross) in Windham County, Vermont. He married Elizabeth Ann Gillespie on May 5, 1834 and they had four children, George, Martha, Ewa, and Elizabeth. Bullen served as the sheriff of Greene County from 1846 to 1850, and in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1851 to 1857. He represented the Third District in the Tennessee State Senate from 1857 to 1859 as a democrat. His next political position was in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1875 to 1877. Bullen died on October 12, 1884 in Greene County, Tennessee.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Special Collections purchased this document in 1999.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository