John Francis Hamtramck Claiborne (April 24, 1809 – May 17, 1884) was a member of the

U. S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. He wrote a history of Mississippi.

Biography

Claiborne was named after

Jean François Hamtramck Jean-François Hamtramck (sometimes called John Francis Hamtramck) (1756–1803) was a Canadian who served as an officer in the US Army during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. In the Revolution, he participated in the ...

and was the son of

Ferdinand Claiborne Ferdinand Leigh Claiborne (March 9, 1772 - March 22, 1815) was an American military officer most notable for his command of the militia of the Mississippi Territory during the Creek War and the War of 1812. Early life Born in Sussex County, Vir ...

. He was also a nephew of

William Charles Cole Claiborne William Charles Cole Claiborne ( 1773–1775 – November 23, 1817) was an American politician, best known as the first non-colonial governor of Louisiana. He also has the distinction of possibly being the youngest member of the United State ...

and Nathaniel Herbert Claiborne, grandnephew of Thomas Claiborne, great-grandfather of Herbert Claiborne Pell, Jr., great-great-grandfather of Claiborne de Borda Pell, and great-great-grand-uncle of Corinne Claiborne Boggs. He was born in Natchez, Mississippi and attended school in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1825, and commenced the practice of law at Natchez. He owned slaves. He was a member of the state House of Representatives from 1830 to 1834, then moved to

Madison County, Mississippi Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 95,203. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for U.S. President James Madison. Madison County is part of the Jackson, ...

, and was elected as a Jacksonian to the

Twenty-fourth Congress The 24th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1835, ...

, where he was a Representative from March 4, 1835 to March 3, 1837. Claiborne presented credentials as a member-elect to the

Twenty-fifth Congress The 25th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 183 ...

and served from July 18, 1837, until February 5, 1838, when the seat was declared vacant as the result of a contested election. He then engaged in newspaper work in Natchez. In 1842, Claiborne served as a commissioner on the Choctaws Claim Commission which was set up to disperse land after the

Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was a treaty which was signed on September 27, 1830, and proclaimed on February 24, 1831, between the Choctaw American Indian tribe and the United States Government. This treaty was the first removal treaty wh ...

. Claiborne was given his position on the commission due to the fact that he was owed $30,000 by

William M. Gwin William McKendree Gwin (October 9, 1805 – September 3, 1885) was an American medical doctor and politician who served in elected office in Mississippi and California. In California he shared the distinction, along with John C. Frémont, of bein ...

and Abram A. Halsey, who were also on the commission. Gwin and Halsey planned to give Claiborne 32,000 acres of Choctaw lands to cover their debts. The land deal was never completed and due to a public feud, Claiborne was removed from the commission. In 1844, he moved to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and resumed newspaper interests. He was appointed United States timber agent for Louisiana and Mississippi in 1853. He was the author of several historical works including his 1880 History of Mississippi. He returned to his estate, "Dumbarton", near Natchez, and died there on May 17, 1884. He is buried in Trinity Churchyard, Natchez, Mississippi.

References

External links

*
''Life of J. F. H. Claiborne''
(1903), by Franklin Lafayette Riley
Mississippi, as a province, territory, and state : with biographical notices of eminent citizens
1809 births 1884 deaths Politicians from Natchez, Mississippi Claiborne family American people of English descent Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi Mississippi lawyers American slave owners Writers from Mississippi American male non-fiction writers 19th-century American historians 19th-century American male writers Burials in Mississippi {{Mississippi-stub