William Cocke Letter to George Graham
In this letter to George Graham, William Cocke reports that his efforts to engage Chickasaw peoples in agricultural pursuits have been partially successful, although they still place a high value on hunting. He also informs Graham that although he does not wish to make difficulties for any public servant, Thomas F. Cheedle's clumsy & unworkman like manner compelled him to refuse to accept any product from his shop before he could inspect it personally. Cocke closes with a discussion of the difficulties that some businessmen have encountered in erecting salt works on Chickasaw lands and asks Graham to ask President Monroe if he will give Cocke and a group of his "Beloved people" permission to visit.
Dates
- 1817 July 17
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
In this letter to George Graham, William Cocke reports that his efforts to engage Chickasaw peoples in agricultural pursuits have been partially successful, although they still place a high value on hunting. He also informs Graham that although he does not wish to make difficulties for any public servant, Thomas F. Cheedle's clumsy & unworkman like manner compelled him to refuse to accept any product from his shop before he could inspect it personally. Cocke closes with a discussion of the difficulties that some businessmen have encountered in erecting salt works on Chickasaw lands and asks Graham to ask President Monroe if he will give Cocke and a group of his "Beloved people" permission to visit.
Biographical/Historical Note
William Cocke was born in Amelia County, Virginia in 1748/9. After serving with the Fincastle, Virginia militia during the Revolutionary War, Cocke entered politics and served in the North Carolina House of Commons (1775, 1777-1778, 1788) and in the North Carolina Senate (1782). He also passed the bars of both Sullivan and Washington Counties in 1782. Cocke supported John Sevier during the State of Franklin controversy, is credited with convincing Sevier to serve as the short-lived state's first governor, and held several political positions. In 1796, Cocke was a member of Tennessee's constitutional convention and served as one of Tennessee's first Senators (1797-1798, 1799-1805). He was appointed Judge of the 1st Circuit in 1809 but became the first Tennessee jurist to be tried and dismissed for using his position for personal gain in 1812. He later moved to Mississippi, served in the Mississippi Legislature (1813), and was appointed Indian Agent to the Chickasaw Nation (1814). William Cocke died on August 22, 1828 and is buried in Columbus, Mississippi.
William Cocke married Mary Maclin on March 24, 1772 and the couple had eight children: John, Sterling, Thomas, Frederick, Sarah (Cocke) Anderson, Elizabeth (Cocke) Jack, Jane, and Rebecca (Cocke) Brown.
George Graham (1770-1830) was an American lawyer, banker, and soldier. Born in Virginia, he graduated from Columbia College in 1790 and began practicing law. He joined the military at the outset of the War of 1812 and commanded the Fairfax Light Horse. He was appointed chief clerk of the War Department in 1814 and later served as the Secretary of War from 1816-1817. Graham died on August 9, 1830 in Washington, D.C.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Special Collections purchased this letter.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository