Judge Jeremiah Watkins Clapp (September 24, 1814 – September 5, 1898) was a slave-owning American lawyer, planter and politician. He owned cotton plantations in Mississippi and Arkansas, and he served as a judge in the Mississippi legislature from 1856 to 1858. An advocate of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

, he served in the

First Confederate Congress The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...

from 1862 to 1864. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he was in charge of Confederate cotton in Mississippi as well as sections of Alabama and Louisiana. After the war, he moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, and he served in the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol ...

from 1878 to 1880.

Early life

Jeremiah Watkins Clapp was born on September 24, 1814, in

Abingdon, Virginia Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and f ...

. His father, Dr Earl B. Clapp, was a surgeon from Virginia. His mother, Elizabeth Craig, was the daughter of Captain Robert Craig; she was of Scotch-Irish descent. Clapp was educated at the Abingdon Academy. He graduated from

Hampden–Sydney College gr, Ye Shall Know the Truth , established = , type = Private liberal arts men's college , religious_affiliation = Presbyterian Church (USA) , endowment = $258 million (2021) , president = Larry Stimpert , city = Hampden Sydney, Virginia , cou ...

in 1835. After clerking for

John William Clark Watson John William Clark Watson (February 27, 1808 – September 24, 1890) was an American politician who served as a Confederate States Senator from Mississippi from 1864 to 1865. References Sources * External linksJohn William Clark Watsonat ...

in Abingdon, he was admitted to the bar in 1839.

Career

Clapp practised the Law in Abingdon, Virginia, from 1839 to 1841. He moved his practise to

Holly Springs, Mississippi Holly Springs is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Mississippi, United States, near the southern border of Tennessee. Near the Mississippi Delta, the area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations and was dep ...

in 1841. He was also the owner of large Southern plantations with African slaves in Mississippi and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. Clapp was a Whig until 1850, when he joined the States' Rights Party. From 1856 to 1858, he served as a judge in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...

, representing

Marshall County, Mississippi Marshall County is a County (United States), county located on the north central border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 37,144. Its county seat is Holly Springs, Mississippi, ...

. During the 1860 presidential campaign, he was an

elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

for

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

's campaign. At the outset of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Clapp attended the Mississippi Secession Convention in favor of the

. He represented the state of Mississippi in the

from 1862 to 1864. To assist the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, Clapp was asked by

Christopher Memminger Christopher Gustavus Memminger (german: link=no, Christoph Gustav Memminger, translit=Christopher Gustavus Memminger; January 9, 1803 – March 7, 1888) was a German-born American politician and a secessionist who participated in the format ...

, the Confederate Secretary of the Treasury, to oversee cotton production in Mississippi as well as parts of Alabama and Louisiana. Clapp would ensure that cotton be turned into Confederate uniforms and sent to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, where General Richard Taylor distributed them. Clapp served in this capacity until Union General

Edward Canby Edward Richard Sprigg Canby (November 9, 1817 – April 11, 1873) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. In 1861–1862, Canby commanded the Department of New Mexico, defeating the Confederate Gene ...

forced him to hand over the cotton in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Meanwhile, Clapp turned down Canby's offer to serve in the same capacity for the Union Army. Clapp moved his legal practise to Memphis, Tennessee in 1866. During the 1876 presidential election, he was an elector for

Samuel J. Tilden Samuel Jones Tilden (February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of New York and was the Democratic candidate for president in the disputed 1876 United States presidential election. Tilden was ...

. From 1878 to 1880, he served in the

Personal life

Clapp married Evelina D. Lucas, the daughter of Colonel P. W. Lucas, in May 1843. They resided at Oakleigh, a mansion built for them in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1858, and later in Memphis. They had eight children, including W. L. Clapp, who served as the Speaker of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

from 1887 to 1891, and as the Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee from 1895 to 1898. Clapp became a Master

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

in Abingdon, Virginia in 1836. He attended the Presbyterian church in Holly Springs, and the Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis.

Death

Clapp died on September 5, 1898, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was buried at the Elmwood Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapp, Jeremiah Watkins 1814 births 1898 deaths Politicians from Abingdon, Virginia People from Holly Springs, Mississippi Politicians from Memphis, Tennessee Hampden–Sydney College alumni American planters Confederate States of America senators 19th-century American legislators Mississippi state senators American Freemasons American Presbyterians American people of Scotch-Irish descent American slave owners 19th-century American lawyers