John Netherland (September 20, 1808 – October 4, 1887) was an American attorney and politician, active primarily in mid-19th century
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. A leader of the state's
Whigs, he served in both the
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.
The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue rega ...
and
Tennessee House of Representatives, and was an unsuccessful candidate for governor on the
Opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
ticket in 1859. During the Civil War, he supported the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
, and was a delegate to the 1861
East Tennessee Convention.
Early life and political career
Netherland was born in
Powhatan County, Virginia
Powhatan County () is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,033. Its county seat is Powhatan.
Powhatan County is included in the Greater Richmond Region.
The James River forms the cou ...
, one of eleven children of Richard and Margaret (Woods) Netherland. While John was still an infant, the family moved to
Kingsport, Tennessee, where his parents established a stagecoach stop known as the
Netherland Inn. Young John was educated at
Tusculum Academy under famed frontier preacher
Samuel Doak
Samuel Doak (1749–1830) was an American Presbyterian clergyman, Calvinist educator, and a former slave owner in the early movement in the United States for the abolition of slavery.
Early life
Samuel Doak was born August 1, 1749, in Augusta Coun ...
, and
read law with Judge
Samuel Powell
Samuel Powell (July 10, 1776 – August 2, 1841), was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives.
Biography
Powell was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He attended the common schools and Ph ...
.
Oliver Perry Temple
Oliver Perry Temple (January 27, 1820 – November 2, 1907) was an American attorney, author, judge, and economic promoter active primarily in East Tennessee in the latter half of the 19th century.Mary Rothrock, ''The French Broad-Holston Country: ...
John Netherland
''Notable Men of Tennessee]'' (Cosmopolitan Press, 1912), pp. 159-165. He was
Admission to the bar in the United States, admitted to the bar in 1829, and briefly moved to
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...
, before returning to Kingsport upon the death of his father.
[William S. Speer, ]
Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans
' (Genealogical Publishing Company, 2010; originally published in 1888), pp. 62-64.
Netherland was elected to the 1st district's seat in the state senate in 1833, when he was just 25 years old. As a state senator, he opposed the
Indian removal policies of
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
and state
Democrats.
In 1834, a state constitutional convention rewrote Tennessee's 1796 constitution. The new constitution placed the minimum age for state senators at 30, so he was unable to seek a second term.
[ He did, however, win election to Sullivan County's seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.][
Netherland aligned himself with the burgeoning Whig Party, which generally opposed the policies of the Jackson administration. In 1836, 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 Whig presidential candidate and fellow East Tennessean Hugh Lawson White
Hugh Lawson White (October 30, 1773April 10, 1840) was a prominent American politician during the first third of the 19th century. After filling in several posts particularly in Tennessee's judiciary and state legislature since 1801, thereunder ...
. During his term in the state house, he opposed a bill that instructed the state's U.S. senators to vote for a measure reversing a censure of Jackson. This angered Sullivan Countians, and Netherland was subsequently forced to resign.[Oliver Taylor, ]
Historic Sullivan: A History of Sullivan County, Tennessee
' (King Printing Company, 1909), pp. 291-295.
In 1837, Netherland moved to Rogersville, Tennessee
Rogersville is a town in, and the county seat of, Hawkins County, Tennessee, Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers (pioneer), Joseph Roger ...
, in nearby Hawkins County, where he would live for the rest of his life. In 1839, he married Susan McKinney, the daughter of powerful Rogersville attorney John A. McKinney. As a wedding present, McKinney built a house for the young couple, Rosemont, which still stands in downtown Rogersville.
While Netherland focused primarily on his law practice during the 1840s, he remained politically active. He ran unsuccessfully for the state legislature in 1841, losing by a narrow margin. In 1846, Netherland successfully defended a group of Melungeons who had been charged with illegally voting (colored people had been barred from voting by 1834 state constitution). In 1847, he was among the candidates considered by the state legislature to replace Spencer Jarnagin in the United States Senate, but the seat went to John Bell. Netherland was an at-large elector for Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
in 1848, canvassing the state and debating Memphis judge William T. Brown and former governor Aaron V. Brown
Aaron Venable Brown (August 15, 1795 – March 8, 1859) was an American politician. He served as the 11th Governor of Tennessee from 1845 to 1847, and as United States Postmaster General from 1857 until his death in 1859. He also served three te ...
.
In 1851, Netherland was elected to the Hawkins County seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives. The following year, he supported Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...
for president. In October 1852, Netherland was badly injured in a wagon accident while travelling to Calhoun, Tennessee
Calhoun is a town in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Chattanooga–Cleveland–Athens combined statistical area. The population was estimated at 536 in 2020.
History
The area where Calhoun is located was settled by Jo ...
, with Gustavus Henry and Charles McClung McGhee
Charles McClung McGhee (January 23, 1828 – May 5, 1907) was an American industrialist and financier, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the latter half of the nineteenth century. As director of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Geor ...
to stump for Scott.
1859 gubernatorial campaign
As the secession crisis arose in the late 1850s, Netherland, like many East Tennesseans, remained steadfastly loyal to the Union. To challenge pro-secession Southern Democrats, pro-Union leaders formed the Opposition Party
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...
, which supported slavery but rejected secession. In 1859, this party nominated Netherland to run for governor against the pro-secession incumbent, Isham G. Harris.
During the summer of 1859, Harris and Netherland engaged in a series of debates at campaign stops across the state. In spite of the growing sectional crisis, the key issue at most campaign stops was the Bank of Tennessee, which had become controversial following a series of bank failures in 1857. Harris, who had been bickering with the bank's president, Cave Johnson
Cave Johnson (January 11, 1793 – November 23, 1866) was an American politician who served the state of Tennessee as a Democratic congressman in the United States House of Representatives. Johnson was the 12th United States Postmaster Gener ...
, opposed the bank. Netherland, arguing the bank provided money for the state's education fund, supported it. The issue of slavery occasionally came up, with Harris attempting to tie Netherland to the abolitionist motives of northern Republicans, and Netherland accusing Harris of sensationalizing the issue.[Sam Davis Elliott, ]
Isham G. Harris of Tennessee: Confederate Governor and United States Senator
' (LSU Press, 2010), pp. 48-49.
Historian Oliver Perry Temple
Oliver Perry Temple (January 27, 1820 – November 2, 1907) was an American attorney, author, judge, and economic promoter active primarily in East Tennessee in the latter half of the 19th century.Mary Rothrock, ''The French Broad-Holston Country: ...
, a fellow Whig and friend of Netherland, suggested that Netherland lacked intellectual curiosity and was not very well-read, and instead relied on his "exceptionally superior" common sense and "irresistible humor" when campaigning. Temple argued this trait hurt Netherland in the governor's race, as Harris came to every debate having studiously prepared to discuss every issue, and occasionally caught Netherland off guard. Recalling respective speeches the candidates gave at the Tennessee State Capitol
The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenn ...
in May, Randal McGavock
Randal McGavock (1766–1843) was an American politician and Southern planter in Nashville, Tennessee. Identifying as a Jeffersonian Republican, he served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1824 to 1825.
His daughter Elizabeth married Will ...
, a friend of Harris, described Harris's speech as "able and dignified," while Netherland's speech was "filled with anecdotes and humorous sayings, but not very sound."
On election day, Harris defeated Netherland, winning 76,073 votes to Netherland's 68,042. With substantially higher voter turnout, Harris's margin of victory was 3,000 votes less than his victory over Robert H. Hatton in the 1857 governor's race. Democrats narrowly retained control of the state government, though the Opposition Party won seven of the state's ten congressional seats.
Civil War
As Southern states considered secession following the election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
in late 1860 and early 1861, Netherland, along with Temple, William G. Brownlow, Horace Maynard, T. A. R. Nelson and Thomas D. Arnold, canvassed relentlessly to rally support for the Union. In February 1861, Netherland was Hawkins' pro-Union candidate for the proposed state convention to consider secession. While Tennessee voters rejected holding the convention, sentiments shifted in favor of secession following the Battle of Fort Sumter in April. A majority of East Tennesseans, however, remained pro-Union.[Oliver Perry Temple, ]
East Tennessee and the Civil War
' (Johnson City, Tenn.: Overmountain Press, 1995), pp. 171, 353-355.
Netherland was a member of the Hawkins County delegation at the Greeneville session (June 17–20, 1861) of the East Tennessee Convention, which met a few days after the state voted to secede. Along with Temple and James McDowell, he was appointed to the committee that drafted a petition to the state legislature asking that East Tennessee be allowed to break away and form a separate, Union-aligned state. Netherland opposed a motion calling for the use of force if the legislature refused, and repeatedly stressed caution. "Our deliberations and acts will become historic," he said. "We should act calmly. We are in a revolution and a fearful one." Though the threat of force was removed from the final petition, the state legislature nevertheless rejected the convention's request, and Confederate forces occupied East Tennessee shortly afterward.
Netherland was not active during the war. His in-laws, the McKinneys, generally supported the Union, while many of his blood relatives supported the Confederacy ( Sullivan County, where many of the Netherlands lived, was one of the few East Tennessee counties to vote in favor of secession). Netherland's son-in-law, Carrick Heiskell, served in the Confederate Army. In 1864, Netherland supported the Democratic presidential candidate, George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...
, in his failed race against Lincoln.
Later life
After the war, Netherland was appointed Minister to Bolivia by President Andrew Johnson, but he declined the appointment. Netherland was a delegate to the 1870 state constitutional convention, which created the present Tennessee state constitution. By the 1880s, his health had declined, forcing him to give up the practice of law.
Netherland died on October 4, 1887. When he died, he is said to have uttered, "old John's gone, and young John's gone, and Sarah's gone, and Molly's gone," referring to his son, wife, and daughter, who all preceded him in death. He was buried at the McKinney Cemetery in Rogersville.
John Netherland Heiskell
John Netherland Heiskell (November 2, 1872 – December 28, 1972) was a prominent American newspaper editor who served briefly in the United States Senate after being appointed to fill a vacancy. He was the editor of the ''Arkansas Gazette'' fr ...
, a grandson of Netherland, briefly represented 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 O ...
in the United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in 1913.[Nathania Sawyer and John Thompson,]
John Netherland Heiskell
" ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture'', 2012. Retrieved: 26 April 2013.[Marvin Byrd, ]
A Unionist in East Tennessee: Captain William K. Byrd and the Mysterious Raid of 1861
' (The History Press, 2011), p. 137.
See also
* Frederick Heiskell
*William Heiskell
William Heiskell (1788 – September 9, 1871) was an American politician, active primarily in Tennessee, in the mid-19th century. He served a tumultuous term as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives in the months following the Civ ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Netherland, John
1808 births
1887 deaths
People from Powhatan County, Virginia
People from Kingsport, Tennessee
People of Tennessee in the American Civil War
Tennessee state senators
Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee Whigs
19th-century American politicians
Tennessee Oppositionists
Southern Unionists in the American Civil War
American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law