John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
, was the
34th Governor of Virginia
The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022.
Oath of office
On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
, and later served in the
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 16 ...
. He was also active on the Board of Visitors of
Virginia Military Institute
la, Consilio et Animis (on seal)
, mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal)
, established =
, type = Public senior military college
, accreditation = SACS
, endowment = $696.8 mill ...
.
Biography
Early life
John Letcher was born in the town of
Lexington
Lexington may refer to:
Places England
* Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington
Canada
* Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario
United States
* Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name
* Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...
in
Rockbridge County, Virginia
Rockbridge County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,650. Its county seat is the city of Lexington. Rockbridge County completely surrounds the in ...
. He attended private rural schools and
Randolph-Macon College in
Boydton, Virginia (later relocated to
Ashland, Virginia
Ashland is a town in Hanover County, Virginia, United States, located north of Richmond along Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,225, up from 6,619 at the 2000 census.
Ashland is named after the Le ...
). In 1833, he was graduated from
Washington Academy in Lexington. He studied law, was admitted to the Virginia State Bar, and opened a practice in Lexington in 1839.
Career
Letcher was editor of the (Shenandoah) ''Valley Star'' newspaper from 1840 to 1850. He was active in the presidential campaigns of 1840, 1844, and 1848, serving as Democratic elector in 1848. Although never a true
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
, he signed the Ruffner Pamphlet of 1847, which proposed the abolition of
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
in that part of Virginia west of the
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virg ...
; however, he soon repudiated this antislavery stand. He was a delegate to the
Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850.
He was elected as a Democratic candidate and served as a Representative in the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
from 1851 to 1859. In Congress, he was known as "Honest John" because of his opposition to government extravagance.
American Civil War
John Letcher was elected as Governor of Virginia in 1859, defeating
Whig candidate
William L. Goggin, and served from 1860–1864.
Letcher was prominent in the organization of the
peace convention that met in Washington, D.C., February 8, 1861, in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
. He discouraged secession, but was active in sustaining the ordinance passed by Virginia on April 17, 1861. Despite scheduling a popular vote to ultimately determine whether Virginia would secede from the Union, the actions of the
Virginia Secession Convention and of the state government, especially
Virginia Governor
The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022.
Oath of office
On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes the ...
Letcher, effectively took Virginia out of the Union.
[Long, 1971, p. 60.] The referendum occurred on May 23, 1861, and Virginia voters overwhelmingly approved the Articles of Secession.
Governor Letcher appointed
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...
, who had just resigned as a
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
in the U.S. Army, as commander in chief of Virginia's army and navy forces on April 22, 1861, at the grade of
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
.
[Scharf, John Thomas]
''History of the Confederate States Navy From Its Organization to the Surrender of Its Last Vessel''
New York: Rogers & Sherwood, 1887, p. 39. . Retrieved February 1, 2011 On April 24, 1861, Virginia and the Confederate States agreed that the Virginia forces would be under the overall direction of the
Confederate President
The president of the Confederate States was the head of state and head of government of the Confederate States. The president was the chief executive of the federal government and was the commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army and the Confed ...
,
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as ...
, pending completion of the process of Virginia joining the Confederate States.
Colonel
John Brown Baldwin defeated Letcher in May 1863 for a seat in the
Second Confederate Congress
The 2nd Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from May 2, 1864, to March 18, 1865, during the last year of Jefferson Davis's presidency, at the Virginia ...
. In 1864, his home in Lexington was burned by
Union troops during General
David Hunter
David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was an American military officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves ...
's raid.
Postwar
After the Civil War, Letcher resumed the practice of law in Lexington. He was elected as a member of the House of Delegates in the
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 16 ...
1875–1877. He was a member of the Board of Visitors of the
Virginia Military Institute
la, Consilio et Animis (on seal)
, mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal)
, established =
, type = Public senior military college
, accreditation = SACS
, endowment = $696.8 mill ...
(VMI) 1866–1880 and served as president of the Board for ten years.
He died on January 26, 1884, at the age of 70, and was interred in the Presbyterian Cemetery (now
Oak Grove Cemetery) at Lexington, Virginia.
Electoral history
1859 – Letcher was elected Governor of Virginia, defeating American William Leftwich Goggin.
Family
Letcher's son,
John Davidson Letcher, was a professor at
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering ...
, serving as acting president from January 1892 to June 1892. His son
Greenlee D. Letcher served two terms in the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...
.
Governor Letcher had a daughter, Lizzie, who married James Harrison, a language professor at Washington and Lee and later head of the Romance and Teutonic Language Department at the University of Virginia after 1895.
References
Books
*Boney, F.N. (1966) ''John Letcher of Virginia; The Story of Virginia’s Civil War Governor''. University, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 1966.
*Long, E. B. ''The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac, 1861–1865.'' Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1971.
Websites
John Letcher in Union or Secession: Virginians Decideat the
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and ...
John Letcher in ''Encyclopedia Virginia''US Congressional Biographies Online website
External links
A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor John Letcher, 1859–1863a
The Library of Virginia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letcher, John
1813 births
1884 deaths
People from Lexington, Virginia
Democratic Party governors of Virginia
People of Virginia in the American Civil War
Virginia lawyers
Randolph–Macon College alumni
Washington and Lee University alumni
Journalists from Virginia
Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates
Confederate States of America state governors
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
19th-century American newspaper editors
American male journalists
19th-century American politicians
Southern Historical Society