John Milton Elliott was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 lawyer and politician from Prestonsburg, Kentucky

Prestonsburg, Kentucky

Prestonsburg is a city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Kentucky, United States. It lies in the eastern part of the state, along the banks of the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River. It was founded in 1797 by Col. John Preston—for whom it was named—along with Solomon Stratton, Matthias...

. He represented Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

 in the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from 1853 until 1857 and served in the First Confederate Congress

First Confederate Congress

The First Confederate Congress was the first regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections mostly held on 6 November 1861.-Sessions:...

 during the 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...

.

Life and career

Elliott was born in Scott County, Virginia

Scott County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,403 people, 9,795 households, and 7,023 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 11,355 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...

 on May 16, 1820 to John and Jane Elliott. The family moved to Kentucky during his childhood, with his father serving two terms in the Kentucky General Assembly. In 1841 he began practicing law in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. He was elected to the Kentucky legislature in 1847. He later followed it with a stint in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1853-1859.

In 1861 he went back to the Kentucky legislature, but was expelled by Judge Bland Ballard

Bland Ballard

Bland Ballard was a soldier and statesman from Kentucky.-Biography:Ballard was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 1779, at age 18, he moved to Kentucky, which was the western frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as a scout in George Rogers Clark's 1780 expedition into the...

 on December 21, 1861 for giving aid to the Confederate States of America

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

. He then turned his loyalties to the Confederacy, helping to form the Confederate government of Kentucky

Confederate government of Kentucky

The Confederate government of Kentucky was a shadow government established for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a self-constituted group of Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War. The shadow government never replaced the elected government in Frankfort, which had strong Union...

, and served in its Senate as a Senator from Kentucky.

After the war, he moved to Bath County, Kentucky

Bath County, Kentucky

Bath County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1811. As of 2010 the population is 11,591. Its county seat is Owingsville, Kentucky...

. In 1876, Elliott began serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

Murdered by a fellow judge

On March 26, 1879 Judge Elliott and fellow jurist Thomas Hines

Thomas Hines

Thomas Henry Hines was a Confederate spy during the American Civil War. A native of Butler County, Kentucky, he initially worked as a grammar instructor, mainly at the Masonic University of La Grange, Kentucky. During the first year of the war, he served as a field officer, initiating several...

 left the Kentucky State House, when they met a judge from Henry County, Kentucky

Henry County, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,060 people, 5,844 households, and 4,330 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 6,381 housing units at an average density of...

, Colonel Thomas Buford. Buford's late sister had lost her land to pay back a debt of $20,000; Elliott had ruled against her in a court proceeding in which she had attempted to save the property.

After Hines had turned and walked away from Elliott, Buford asked Elliott whether he wanted to go on a snipe

Snipe

A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...

 hunt, then shot him point-blank with a double-barreled shotgun

Shotgun

A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...

 filled with twelve buckshot, as he had sworn on his sister's grave he would do. Hines inspected the body as Buford turned himself in to a deputy sheriff who had come to see where the shotgun blast came from.

The assassination made news throughout the country. The New York Times opined that the murder "could scarcely have taken place in any region calling itself civilized

Civilization

Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...

 except Kentucky, or some other Southern

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

 state".

Aftermath

Buford offered a defense of not guilty by reason of insanity during his trial. The jury did indeed find him insane, after an initial 6–6 deadlock. Buford was sent to the Central Kentucky Insane Asylum in Anchorage, Kentucky

Anchorage, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,264 people, 729 households, and 643 families residing in the city. The population density was 744.0 people per square mile . There were 750 housing units at an average density of 246.5 per square mile...

, but would eventually escape in 1882 to Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, where he was unable to be extradited. He voluntarily returned to the asylum in 1884 and died on February 12, 1885.

Elliott was buried at the state cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky

Frankfort, Kentucky

Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...

. His wife had a statue erected in his honor at the courthouse of Boyd County, Kentucky

Boyd County, Kentucky

Boyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1860. Its are found at the northeastern edge of the state the near the Ohio River and Big Sandy River, nestled in the verdant rolling hills of Appalachia. The county seat is Catlettsburg. Its largest municipality is...

 in Catlettsburg, Kentucky

Catlettsburg, Kentucky

Catlettsburg is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States and is the county seat of Boyd County. The city population was 1,960 at the 2000 census. The city's postal ZIP code serves a greater population of 10,029, which is a better reflection of the community's size. Catlettsburg is a part of...

. It is debated whether Elliott County, Kentucky

Elliott County, Kentucky

Elliott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1869. As of 2000, the population is 6,748. Its county seat is Sandy Hook, Kentucky. The county is named for John Milton Elliott, U.S. Congressman; Confederate Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals...

is named for Elliott or his father.