Jeremiah Clemens
Encyclopedia
Jeremiah Clemens was a U.S. senator
and novelist from the state
of Alabama
. He was elected to fill the vacancy left by the death of Dixon Hall Lewis
, and served from November 30, 1849 to March 3, 1853. Clemens was the author of Tobias Wilson, one of the first American Civil War
novels, and he was also one of the earliest writers of Western
novels.
Clemens was born in Huntsville, Alabama
on December 28, 1814, son of James Clemens, a merchant who had emigrated to Alabama with his wife Minerva (Mills) Clemens from Pennsylvanian by way of Kentucky shortly before their son's birth. Clemens was well educated for his time, attending La Grange College and the University of Alabama
before studying law at Transylvania University
. He began the practice of law in Huntsville in 1834 and was appointed the Attorney General for the Northern District of Alabama in 1838. He served one term (1839–1841) in the Alabama House of Representatives. He served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War and was eventually promoted to Colonel in the United States volunteers for his service.
When Dixon Hall Lewis died from complications related to his morbid obesity Clemens was elected by the Alabama legislature to complete his term as United States Senator from Alabama, serving from November 30, 1849 to March 1853. After his term he relocated to Memphis, Tennessee due to business interests, particularly his co-ownership of a newspaper, The Memphis Eagle and Enquirer, which he also edited.
Though a Democrat Clemens was a staunch Unionist in his political views who argued that talk of secession should be postponed until such time as Abraham Lincoln mentioned emancipating the slaves (a position whose practitioners were known as "wait and seers" in the pre-war South. Clemens served as the representative from Madison County, Alabama
representative to the Alabama Secession Convention where he and his like minded "wait and seers" were outvoted in a landslide by advocates of secession. Because of his military experience and rank he was commissioned Major General of the Army of Alabama soon after the inauguration of Jefferson Davis, a position replaced by a generalship in the Confederate Army upon its creation, but in 1862 he resigned his commission altogether due to his political opposition to the war for secession. He did not serve in the Union Army against Alabama, but he made no secret of his pro-Union views and wrote to various members of the Lincoln administration and the United States War Department advising them on how best to mollify the South peaceably and how to deal with Reconstruction upon the Confederacy's inevitable defeat. His death from natural causes on May 21, 1865, came too soon for him to take an active role in the reconciliation of the nation.
Clemens was most famous outside of Alabama during his lifetime as a novelist. Bernard Lile (1856) and Mustang Grey (1858) were at least partly autobiographical novels set in the Texas War of Independence and the Mexican-American War and both received critical acclaim at the time of their release. The Rivals(1860) was a novelization of the enmity between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. His final novel, Tobias Wilson, published posthumously in 1865, was an account of Unionist partisans who fought during the Civil War in the mountains of Alabama near Clemens' hometown of Huntsville.
Jeremiah Clemens was a distant cousin of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain
.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and novelist from the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He was elected to fill the vacancy left by the death of Dixon Hall Lewis
Dixon Hall Lewis
Dixon Hall Lewis was an American politician who served as a Representative and a Senator from Alabama.-Biography:...
, and served from November 30, 1849 to March 3, 1853. Clemens was the author of Tobias Wilson, one of the first American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
novels, and he was also one of the earliest writers of Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
novels.
Clemens was born in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
on December 28, 1814, son of James Clemens, a merchant who had emigrated to Alabama with his wife Minerva (Mills) Clemens from Pennsylvanian by way of Kentucky shortly before their son's birth. Clemens was well educated for his time, attending La Grange College and the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
before studying law at Transylvania University
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
. He began the practice of law in Huntsville in 1834 and was appointed the Attorney General for the Northern District of Alabama in 1838. He served one term (1839–1841) in the Alabama House of Representatives. He served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War and was eventually promoted to Colonel in the United States volunteers for his service.
When Dixon Hall Lewis died from complications related to his morbid obesity Clemens was elected by the Alabama legislature to complete his term as United States Senator from Alabama, serving from November 30, 1849 to March 1853. After his term he relocated to Memphis, Tennessee due to business interests, particularly his co-ownership of a newspaper, The Memphis Eagle and Enquirer, which he also edited.
Though a Democrat Clemens was a staunch Unionist in his political views who argued that talk of secession should be postponed until such time as Abraham Lincoln mentioned emancipating the slaves (a position whose practitioners were known as "wait and seers" in the pre-war South. Clemens served as the representative from Madison County, Alabama
Madison County, Alabama
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
representative to the Alabama Secession Convention where he and his like minded "wait and seers" were outvoted in a landslide by advocates of secession. Because of his military experience and rank he was commissioned Major General of the Army of Alabama soon after the inauguration of Jefferson Davis, a position replaced by a generalship in the Confederate Army upon its creation, but in 1862 he resigned his commission altogether due to his political opposition to the war for secession. He did not serve in the Union Army against Alabama, but he made no secret of his pro-Union views and wrote to various members of the Lincoln administration and the United States War Department advising them on how best to mollify the South peaceably and how to deal with Reconstruction upon the Confederacy's inevitable defeat. His death from natural causes on May 21, 1865, came too soon for him to take an active role in the reconciliation of the nation.
Clemens was most famous outside of Alabama during his lifetime as a novelist. Bernard Lile (1856) and Mustang Grey (1858) were at least partly autobiographical novels set in the Texas War of Independence and the Mexican-American War and both received critical acclaim at the time of their release. The Rivals(1860) was a novelization of the enmity between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. His final novel, Tobias Wilson, published posthumously in 1865, was an account of Unionist partisans who fought during the Civil War in the mountains of Alabama near Clemens' hometown of Huntsville.
Jeremiah Clemens was a distant cousin of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
.
External links
- Jeremiah Clemens at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...
- http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1651