S. H. Laughlin Letter to W. I. Whitthorne
In this letter (marked Private) to W. I. Whitthorne, S. H. Laughlin discusses local and national politics. He touches on the possible adjournment of the U. S. House of Representatives, the state of the Native American Democratic ticket and the Whig Party, and his own efforts to promote the Democratic Party and fight the Whigs in Tennessee. He ends with a plea for funds to support his work.
Although Laughlin addresses his letter to W. I. Whitthorne, he is most likely corresponding with the Washington Curran Whitthorne who represented Tennessee in both the U. S. House of Representatives and the U. S. Senate.
Dates
- 1844 April 20
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 (1 folder)
Abstract
In this letter (marked Private) to W. I. Whitthorne, S. H. Laughlin discusses local and national politics. He touches on the possible adjournment of the U. S. House of Representatives, the state of the Native American Democratic ticket and the Whig Party, and his own efforts to promote the Democratic Party and fight the Whigs in Tennessee. He ends with a plea for funds to support his work.
Biographical/Historical Note
Samuel Hervey Laughlin was born to John and Sarah (Duncan) Laughlin in Washington County, Virginia on May 1, 1796. His family moved to a farm near Barbourville, Kentucky when he was three years old but returned to Virginia in 1810. In March 1811, Samuel Laughlin moved to McMinnville, Tennessee where he clerked in a store while reading law. He earned his license and began practicing in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1815. He married Mary Clarke Bass on October 26, 1816 and the couple had eight children: Samuel Houston, Ellen, Isabella, Mary, John, James, Andrew Jackson, and Sarah Louise. Laughlin owned a farm and enslaved people before moving to Nashville, Tennessee to edit the Nashville Banner and Daily Advertiser in 1832. He left the Banner in 1834 to edit the Nashville Union, whose first issue appeared on March 30, 1835. Laughlin left the newspaper business completely in 1837 to return to McMinnville, where he farmed, practiced law, and campaigned for James K. Polk and the Democratic Party. He was also active in politics, serving in the Tennessee State Senate (1839-1845), acting as a delegate to the state and national Democratic conventions (1840), and serving as a presidential elector (1840). At Polk's insistence, Laughlin resumed his work with the Union in 1845 and was appointed Recorder in the General Land Office in Washington, D.C. soon after Polk's election as President. His federal job disappeared after Polk left office, and he died in Washington on May 5, 1850.
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