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John Sevier
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| Biography: John Sevier |
John Sevier (1745-1815), American frontiersman, soldier, and politician, was a leading figure during the frontier period in the Old Southwest and became the first governor of Tennessee.
John Sevier was born on Sept. 23, 1745, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The eldest of seven children, he worked for his father, who had a farm, kept a tavern, traded for furs, and speculated in real estate. At the age of sixteen John married Sarah Hawkins and began a similar career.
By his late twenties Sevier had decided to go west, and in 1771 he purchased land on the Holston River in eastern Tennessee. Two years later he moved his wife and seven children there. Sevier gained his new neighbors' respect, and soon they elected him to positions of leadership which included membership on the local Committee of Public Safety and one term in the North Carolina Provincial Congress. Although a lieutenant colonel in the militia, he took little part in the War for Independence until 1780, when he led several hundred frontiersmen east to help defeat the British at Kings Mountain. Shortly after this, he led a punitive expedition against the Cherokee in Tennessee, the first of many such campaigns.
In 1784 North Carolina ceded its western lands to the Confederation Congress to reduce the state war debt and tax burden. This cession stimulated a movement for statehood among the frontiersmen living beyond the Appalachians. In August 1784 they held a convention and decided to petition Congress for statehood, but before they acted, North Carolina rescinded its land cession. The settlers met again in spite of this, adopted the North Carolina statutes temporarily, and elected John Sevier as governor of the state of Franklin. Opposition from the United States, North Carolina, the Native Americans, and some settlers defeated the statehood movement by 1788.
The next year Sevier began a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 1791 he became a brigadier general in the territorial militia. Three years later he was elected as the first governor of the new state of Tennessee, an office he held for the constitutional limit of three consecutive terms. Then, after he had been out of office for 2 years, the voters chose him for still another three terms. Following that, Sevier served in the Tennessee Senate and in 1811 was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served until his death in 1815.
Further Reading
The best study of Sevier is Carl S. Driver, John Sevier: Pioneer of the Old Southwest (1932), which gives an accurate discussion of his activities as land speculator, militiaman, and politician, although it fails to present much personal material. Samuel C. Williams, History of the Lost State of Franklin (1924; rev. ed. 1933), offers the most complete account of Sevier's role in the movement for statehood.
Additional Sources
Gilmore, James R. (James Roberts), John Sevier as a commonwealth-builder; a sequel to The rearguard of the revolution, Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint Co., 1974 c1887.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: John Sevier |
Sevier, John (səvēr'), 1745-1815, American frontiersman and political leader. He was born near the site of New Market, Va., the town he founded in his young manhood. In 1773 he moved with his family to W North Carolina, where he became a leader of the Watauga Association. In the American Revolution, Sevier, a supporter of independence and a veteran of many campaigns against Native Americans, was prominent as one of the frontier leaders in the American victory at Kings Mountain (1780) in the Carolina campaign. After the war, when North Carolina ceded (1784) its western lands to the United States, Sevier served (1785-88) as governor of a separate, short-lived state organized by the settlers (see Franklin, State of). For this he was arrested (1788) by the North Carolina government on a charge of treason, but he escaped. Following his election (1789) to the North Carolina senate, he was pardoned by the governor. He voted for the U.S. Constitution in the state ratifying convention of 1789, and he was elected (1789) to represent the western districts in Congress. In 1791 he was made a brigadier general in the "Territory South of the River Ohio" and in 1794 was appointed to its 10-man legislative council. The new state of Tennessee was organized (1796) out of this territory, and Sevier, elected the first governor, served from 1796 to 1801 and again from 1803 to 1809. The rising young Andrew Jackson unsuccessfully tried to curb Sevier's political power, and the two men became bitter personal enemies. Sevier ended his distinguished career by returning to Congress (1811-15).
Bibliography
See his Letters in C. B. Sevier and N. C. Madden, Sevier Family History (1961); biographies by J. R. Gilmore (1887) and C. S. Driver (1932).
| Wikipedia: John Sevier |
| John Sevier | |
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| In office March 30, 1796 – September 23, 1801 |
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| Lieutenant | James Winchester (1796-1797) James White (1797-1798) William Blount (1798-1799) Alexander Outlaw (1799-1801) |
| Succeeded by | Archibald Roane |
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| In office September 23, 1803 – September 20, 1809 |
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| Lieutenant | James White (1803-1805) Joseph McMinn (1805-1809) |
| Preceded by | Archibald Roane |
| Succeeded by | Willie Blount |
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| Born | September 23, 1745 Rockingham County, Virginia |
| Died | September 23, 1815 (aged 70) Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse(s) | 1) Sarah Hawkins Sevier (deceased) 2) Catherine Sherill Sevier (his death) |
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John Sevier (23 September 1745 – 25 September 1815) served four years (1785–1789) as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years (1796–1801 and 1803–1809) as Governor of Tennessee, and as a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death. He also served as the commander of the Washington County, Tennessee, contingent of the Overmountain Men in the Battle of Kings Mountain.
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Early life
John Sevier was born in the town of New Market, Virginia. His paternal grandfather, known as Valentine 'The Huguenot' Sevier, was from the French Huguenot branch of the Xavier family that included as a distant relative Saint Francis Xavier; his paternal grandmother, Mary Smith, was English. Sevier's father was born in London, England, and his mother, Joanna Goad, was an American.[1]
Along with his first wife, Sarah Hawkins, and their children, Sevier settled in the Holston River valley in what is now East Tennessee. It was at this time that he gained the nicknames Nolichucky Jack and Chucky Jack for his exploits along the Nolichucky River. That area was then claimed by Virginia, and he served briefly in Lord Dunmore's War in 1774. In this war John Sevier began to win the reputation as an Indian fighter that would make him a hero in his own day, though making some modern historians uncomfortable with his legacy.
Revolutionary War
Soon after settling in Northeast Tennessee, Sevier became involved in local politics, helping to organize a petition to North Carolina to become part of that state, and commanding Washington County militia in the Cherokee siege of Fort Caswell (or Fort Watauga) near Sycamore Shoals (present-day Elizabethton, Tennessee). After this battle he was promoted from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel, and in this capacity led 240 of over 1,000 militiamen over the Appalachian Mountains to fight against Major Patrick Ferguson and a similar number of British Regulars and Carolina Loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain. The tremendous victory for the Overmountain Men increased Sevier's fame and popularity on the frontier, and when the time came for the people of the area to govern themselves, Sevier was more than once their first choice.
During this time, Sevier's first wife, Sarah Hawkins, died, and he married Catherine "Bonny Kate" Sherrill.
Much of this story is presented every year in Liberty!, an outdoor drama performed in Elizabethton, Tennessee, site of the muster of the Overmountain Men.
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State of Franklin
North Carolina, bowing to the pressure from the Continental Congress and eager to be rid of an expensive and unprofitable district, ceded all her lands west of the Appalachian Mountains to the United States Government. However, the Congress did not immediately accept the lands, creating a vacuum of power in what is now East Tennessee. Sevier was one of several prominent men who stepped into that vacuum, accepting the role of governor of the new State of Franklin (named after Benjamin Franklin according to most sources, but occasionally spelled 'Frankland,' meaning 'land of free men'). When North Carolina rescinded her cession, Sevier initially wanted to return to the Old North State, in part because he was offered a promotion to brigadier general, but William Cocke, another prominent Franklinite (and later U.S. Senator from Tennessee), convinced him to stay the course.
As North Carolina and Franklin competed for the loyalties of the residents of the area, Sevier became involved in intrigues with Georgia to gain control of Cherokee lands in what is now northern Alabama, and he even considered an alliance with Spain, whose Governor Estevan Miro sent gold to Sevier in hopes of subverting trans-Appalachian America. In September 1793, he was involved in the battle against Cherokees who slew white settlers near Georgia in Battle of Hightower. Both Franklin and North Carolina elected local officials, state senators, and representatives to Congress. Eventually some of Sevier's property was seized for taxes supposedly owed to North Carolina. This confiscation took place while Sevier was campaigning against Cherokee who were defending themselves against Franklinite settlers living south of the French Broad River. Upon his return, Sevier took the militia to the farm of John Tipton, a prominent North Carolina man (so prominent, in fact, that North Carolina supporters were often called Tiptonites), and laid siege for three days (27 February to 29 February 1788). Tipton was ultimately reinforced by militia from Sullivan County, and two of Sevier's sons were captured. Upon their release, Sevier withdrew from the siege. This event became known as "The Battle of the Lost State of Franklin", and marked the beginning of the end for the Franklin government. Because the men on both sides were neighbours and friends, most deliberately missed in their shots, and few men were killed or injured. However, within a year, the State of Franklin would no longer exist.
Sevier was arrested in 1788 on a charge of treason under North Carolina law, but he escaped.
In 1789, Sevier was elected to the North Carolina Senate as a Federalist. After this election Sevier received a pardon from the governor, ending the treason charge.
Sevier was elected from North Carolina to the First United States Congress and served from June 16, 1790, until March 3, 1791.
Southwest Territory
In 1790, what is now Tennessee was again ceded by North Carolina to the U.S. government, and it was then organized into the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio, or Southwest Territory. The capital was briefly at Rocky Mount, Tennessee, and soon moved to Knoxville. The governor, appointed by President Washington, was William Blount. Sevier and Blount worked together during the territorial period; but when Tennessee became a state, Sevier and Blount, and later Blount's protégé Andrew Jackson increasingly found themselves at odds.
Governor of Tennessee
When Tennessee became a state in 1796, Sevier was elected her first governor, and held the office through two re-elections to enjoy three two-year terms (the maximum number of consecutive terms allowed by the Tennessee Constitution of 1796). Upon his relinquishment of that post, he sought the semi-elective position of Major-General of volunteer forces for all of Tennessee. The vote was a tie, broken in favor of Sevier's rival, Andrew Jackson, by the new governor, Archibald Roane who was a personal friend of Jackson's. Sevier and Jackson would remain bitter enemies until Sevier's death, and they would even make an attempt at dueling one another in 1803. Sevier and Jackson met outside the courthouse in Knoxville and Sevier brought up Jackson's marriage to Rachel. Jackson, insulted, requested an interview – a euphemism for a duel – and the two eventually met outside of Kingston, Tennessee. After a lot of name calling and threats, the two rode off without firing a shot. In that same year, Sevier would be reelected to the governor's chair, defeating Roane, and held it for six more years. Partially because of the unusually short length of his first term due to the time of the admission of the state to the Union, Sevier served as governor of Tennessee longer than any other person except for fellow six-term governor William Carroll, who served for slightly over twelve full years.
Later life
After serving as governor for the second set of three terms, Sevier was elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 1809 and to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1811, holding the latter office until his death. Sevier died two days past his seventieth birthday while surveying the boundary between the state of Georgia and the Creek Nation in modern Alabama, an area he was familiar with from his days as a land speculator.
Family
By his first wife, Sevier had ten children, and by his second wife he had eight children.[2]
Monuments and memorials
The Gov. John Sevier Home is a Tennessee state historic site.
Both Sevierville, Tennessee, and Sevier County, Tennessee, are named in his honor, as is John Sevier Highway in Knox County, Tennessee.
John Sevier Elementary School, located in Maryville, Tennessee, and John Sevier Middle School, located in Kingsport, Tennessee, are also named in his honor.
The Tennessee Valley Authority runs a coal-fired power plant bearing his name.
Myrtle Hill Cemetery, Rome, Georgia, the Xavier chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution erected a monument to Sevier in 1901.
Also Sevier Dorms of Austin Peay are named after him.
John Sevier's funerary monument stands on the east lawn of the Knox County Courthouse grounds, where his body was reinterred in 1889.
Norfolk-Southern Railway operates a classification yard in the northeast Knox County. It is known as John Sevier Yard.
His monument still stands in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Further reading
- Driver, Carl Samuel. John Sevier: Pioneer of the Old Southwest. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1932
See also
- Governor John Sevier Historic Site - Marble Springs
- Daniel Boone
- Kings Mountain National Military Park
- Kings Mountain, North Carolina
- Roan Mountain State Park
- Roan Mountain, Tennessee
- Carter County, Tennessee
- Valentine Sevier
- Issac Shelby
- Tennessee Valley
- James Robertson (early American)
Chickamauga wars
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| New district | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 5th congressional district 1790 – 1791 |
Succeeded by Nathaniel Macon |
| Preceded by Robert Weakley |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 2nd congressional district 1811 – 1815 |
Succeeded by Bennett H. Henderson |
| Political offices | ||
| New title | Governor of Tennessee 1796 – 1801 |
Succeeded by Archibald Roane |
| Preceded by Archibald Roane |
Governor of Tennessee 1803 – 1809 |
Succeeded by Willie Blount |
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External links
- Jackson-Sevier 'duel'
- Lineage of Governor John Sevier
- John Sevier & Sevier Family genealogy
- Tennessee Encyclopedia entry
- Tennessee State Library & Archives, Papers of Governor John Sevier, 1796-1801
- Tennessee State Library & Archives, Papers of Governor John Sevier, 1803-1809
- Camp Sevier Historical Marker, Taylors, South Carolina
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=S023 Tennessee Encyclopedia
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Mentioned in
- Shelby (city, North Carolina)
- Muscle Shoals Speculation (American history)
- State of Franklin (government, history, Tennessee)
- Carolina campaign (historical event, war, United States)
- Gov. John Sevier Home
- Ethan Allen
- Kieran Doherty (children's author/illustrator)
- Tennessee State Route 168
- Tennessee (state, United States)
- Valentine Sevier
- Marble Springs
- Conway and Sevier family
- Battle of Hightower
- William Grainger Blount
