John Jameson (March 6, 1802 – January 24, 1857) was an American farmer, lawyer, and politician from

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...

. He represented

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in the

US 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 c ...

Early life

Jameson was born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky in

Montgomery County, Kentucky Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,114. Its county seat is Mount Sterling. With regard to the sale of alcohol, it is classified as a moist county—a county in w ...

on March 6, 1802. His great uncle was Col. John Jameson and he was a second cousin (twice removed) to

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. He attended the common schools, moved to

Callaway County, Missouri Callaway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 44,283. Its county seat is Fulton. With a border formed by the Missouri River, the county was organized November ...

in 1825, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1826 and commenced practice in

. He owned slaves.

Career

He served as a captain in the militia during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

between April and August 1832. He held several local offices including member of the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

from 1830 to 1836 and the

Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives Speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives are (listed by year they assumed office): * 1820 James Caldwell Democratic-Republican - St. Genevieve * 1821 Henry S. Geyer Democratic-Republican - St. Louis * 1826 Alexander Stuart Democrati ...

from 1834 to 1836. Jameson was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

26th Congress The 26th 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, 1839 ...

and filled the vacancy that had been caused by the death of

Albert G. Harrison Albert Galliton Harrison (June 26, 1800 – September 7, 1839) was a three-term United States Representative from Missouri and a slaveholder. Biography Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Harrison graduated from Transylvania University, Lexi ...

. Serving from December 12, 1839 to March 3, 1841, he was not a candidate for renomination in 1840. In 1842, Jameson was again elected to the House and served the 28th Congress from March 1843 to March 3, 1845. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1844. Jameson was again elected to the

30th Congress The 30th 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, 1847, ...

and served from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1849. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1848.

Later life

In 1855, as a lawyer, Jameson led the defense of a slave named Celia in what became an influential trial of a slave. He based his unsuccessful "defense on the premise that under Missouri law Celia possessed the same right to use deadly force to defend her honor as did white women." In his later years, Jameson was a farmer and was ordained as a minister in the

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...

Personal life

Jameson was married to Susan A. Harris (1814–1890), a daughter of Tyre Harris and Sarah (née Garland) Harris. Together, they were the parents of: * John Harris Jameson (1838–1902), who married Mary E. Herndon (1842–1927), a daughter of Edward S. Herndon, in 1861. * Elizabeth Jameson (1840–1902), who married Benjamin F. Rogers. After his death, she married Judge Richard Reid. * Ollie Tom Jameson (1842–1863), who died unmarried. * Sarah Tyre Jameson (1843–1863), who died two weeks before she was to marry Richard Reid of

. Ten years after her death, Reid married her sister, Elizabeth. * Malinda R. Jameson (1845–1909), who married Clare O. Atkinson (1838–1919), a director of the Callaway Bank in Fulton. Jameson died in

on January 24, 1857, and was interred in the Jameson family cemetery near Fulton.

Descendants

Through his daughter Elizabeth, he was a grandfather of

Richard Reid Rogers Richard Reid Rogers (December 4, 1867 – November 10, 1949) was a prominent United States lawyer, specializing in transit law. Early life He was born on December 4, 1867 in Bourbon County, Kentucky to Benjamin F. Rogers and Elizabeth H. ( née J ...

, the Military Governor of Panama Canal Zone under President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. Richard's daughter, Elizabeth Reid Rogers, married into the

German nobility The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the begi ...

and the

House of Hesse The House of Hesse is a European dynasty, directly descended from the House of Brabant. They ruled the region of Hesse, one branch as prince-electors until 1866, and another branch as grand dukes until 1918. Burke's Royal Families of the World, ...

, by marrying

Prince Christian of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld Prince Christian of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (''Christian Ludwig Friedrich Adolf Alexis Wilhelm Ferdinand''; 16 June 1887 – 19 October 1971) was a member of the House of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld and a German naval officer until he resi ...

, a son of

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

, in 1915 and being titled Baroness von Barchfeld.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jameson, John 1802 births 1857 deaths People from Mount Sterling, Kentucky American people of Scottish descent Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri Speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives Missouri lawyers American slave owners People from Fulton, Missouri 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers American people of the Black Hawk War Military personnel from Missouri