John Janney
Encyclopedia
John Janney was an influential member of the Whig Party
in Virginia
prior to its demise, delegate to the Virginia General Assembly
from Loudoun County
and served as President of the Virginia Secession Convention in 1861.
to devout Quaker parents. When Janney was still a boy his parents moved to Goose Creek (present day Lincoln
) in Loudoun County
where there was a thriving Quaker community. Janney attended school at the local meeting house until he was teenager when he left to study law at the county court
in Leesburg
under Richard Henderson. At 18 he was admitted to the bar of that court, where he quickly gained the respect of his peers and rose through the ranks of the local Whig Party.
Despite his work on the abolition bill, Janney bought his first slave in 1834. Because Quakers did not allow its members to own slaves, Janney broke with the church and joined the Episcopal Church
.
In 1841, Janney purchased a 580-acre tract of land from Thomas Ludwell Lee II in Loudoun County, Virginia as a Summer Home.
That property would eventually be known as Ashburn Farm
after it was sold by Janney in 1870.
In 1847, Janney was one of three lawyers to defend Nelson Talbott Gant,a freed slave from Leesburg, who was accused of stealing his wife, still a slave, from her owner after the owner had refused to allow Gant to buy her freedom. Janney and company were successful in obtaining Gant's acquittal by arguing that the bonds of marriage transcend those of slavery.
and William Henry Harrison
. The Virginia delegation preferred Clay, but in his career he had made too many enemies in his own party and the nomination went to Harrison. The party was sensitive to the Virginia delegation given the states large population and political clout so they instructed the delegation to caucus
and nominate their choice for vice president. When the delegation met, two men received nominations: John Janney of Loudoun and John Tyler
of Charles City County. The vote ended in a tie, but the tidewater representatives used their political advantage to get Tyler, a tidewater aristocrat, the nomination over Janney, an upcountry Quaker. After Tyler got the nomination Janney confessed that, as was his custom, he voted not for himself but Tyler causing the tie. Harrison died just three months into office and Tyler became president.
command of the forces of the Commonwealth. After the convention adjourned Janney returned to his law practice in Loudoun which he continued until his death in 1872.
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
prior to its demise, delegate to the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
from Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
and served as President of the Virginia Secession Convention in 1861.
Early life
John Janney was born November 8, 1798 in Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
to devout Quaker parents. When Janney was still a boy his parents moved to Goose Creek (present day Lincoln
Lincoln, Virginia
Lincoln is an historic unincorporated village in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun County, Virginia, located approximately south of Purcellville. It was established as the community of Goose Creek during the 1750s by Quaker settlers and renamed Lincoln after the president shortly after his...
) in Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
where there was a thriving Quaker community. Janney attended school at the local meeting house until he was teenager when he left to study law at the county court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
in Leesburg
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
under Richard Henderson. At 18 he was admitted to the bar of that court, where he quickly gained the respect of his peers and rose through the ranks of the local Whig Party.
Early career
In 1831, he helped to draft a bill to abolish slavery in Virginia for the General Assembly. Two years later Janney was elected to that body's lower chamber as a delegate from Loudoun, a seat he held until 1845.Despite his work on the abolition bill, Janney bought his first slave in 1834. Because Quakers did not allow its members to own slaves, Janney broke with the church and joined the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
.
In 1841, Janney purchased a 580-acre tract of land from Thomas Ludwell Lee II in Loudoun County, Virginia as a Summer Home.
That property would eventually be known as Ashburn Farm
Ashburn Farm
Ashburn Farm is a housing subdivision located in Ashburn, Virginia of Loudoun County, directly north of the Dulles Greenway. The community opened for development in 1986 and its first residents bought houses in 1988...
after it was sold by Janney in 1870.
In 1847, Janney was one of three lawyers to defend Nelson Talbott Gant,a freed slave from Leesburg, who was accused of stealing his wife, still a slave, from her owner after the owner had refused to allow Gant to buy her freedom. Janney and company were successful in obtaining Gant's acquittal by arguing that the bonds of marriage transcend those of slavery.
Vice Presidential Candidature
In 1839 the national Whig party held a convention to nominate its candidate for the upcoming Presidential election. The choice came down to two natives of Virginia; Henry ClayHenry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
and William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
. The Virginia delegation preferred Clay, but in his career he had made too many enemies in his own party and the nomination went to Harrison. The party was sensitive to the Virginia delegation given the states large population and political clout so they instructed the delegation to caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
and nominate their choice for vice president. When the delegation met, two men received nominations: John Janney of Loudoun and John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
of Charles City County. The vote ended in a tie, but the tidewater representatives used their political advantage to get Tyler, a tidewater aristocrat, the nomination over Janney, an upcountry Quaker. After Tyler got the nomination Janney confessed that, as was his custom, he voted not for himself but Tyler causing the tie. Harrison died just three months into office and Tyler became president.
Virginia Conventions
In 1850 Virginia held a Constitutional Convention and Loudoun sent Janney as a member of its delegation. As the Whig party collapsed under sectional strain in the 1850s Janney remained a committed Unionist, and because of that view along with his respect in the political arena Janney was again chosen to represent Loudoun and advocate for remaining in the Union in 1861 when the state called a special convention to decide its course in the coming conflict. When he arrived in Richmond he was chosen to serve as President of the body. He would vote twice against Secession, but after the second vote passed on April 17 he submitted to the will of the majority and reversed his vote to make it unanimous. From that point on despite his personal views he supported his native state and the course it chose, though he took no active part in the fight. As president of the convention he had the notable honor of giving Robert E. LeeRobert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
command of the forces of the Commonwealth. After the convention adjourned Janney returned to his law practice in Loudoun which he continued until his death in 1872.