Thomas Stevenson Pettit (December 21, 1843November 29, 1931) was a newspaper publisher and politician from the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
. Orphaned at age ten, he found work in a printing house in his hometown of
Frankfort. In 1864, he moved to
Owensboro, Kentucky, and purchased a newspaper called the ''Monitor''. He incurred the wrath of
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
General
Stephen G. Burbridge because he vigorously criticized the
Republicans' policies during 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 ...
; Burbridge ordered Pettit arrested and relocated behind
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
lines for the duration of the war.
Following the war, Pettit returned to Owensboro and revived the ''Monitor''. He became involved in politics, serving as personal secretary to
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
James B. McCreary and
Reading Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
The Reading Clerk of the United States House of Representatives reads bills, motions, and other papers before the House and keeps track of changes to legislation made on the floor. During the vote for Speaker at the beginning of each Congress, o ...
. In the early 1890s, he began to split from the
Democrats' political philosophy and was elected to the
Kentucky House of Representatives as an
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
. He was the
Populist Party's nominee for governor in the 1895 gubernatorial election. Although he fell well short of election, his presence on the ticket drew enough votes from Democratic candidate
Parker Watkins Hardin to give the election to
William O. Bradley, who became Kentucky's first Republican governor. Pettit never again sought public office, but amassed a sizable personal fortune through various business investments in and around Owensboro. He died November 29, 1931. The town of
Pettit, Kentucky
Pettit is an unincorporated community located in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is named for Thomas S. Pettit, the long-time publisher of ''The Monitor'' (now the ''Messenger-Inquirer
''The Messenger-Inquirer'' is a local newsp ...
was built on land he helped clear and was named in his honor.
Early life
Thomas Pettit was born December 21, 1843, in
Frankfort, Kentucky. He was the son of Franklin Duane and Elizabeth (Zook) Pettit.
Franklin Pettit, who co-published ''The Kentucky Farmer'' with Thomas B. Stevenson, died when his son Thomas was very young. Soon after, Thomas' mother also died, leaving him an orphan at the age of ten.
[Connelley and Coulter, p. 157]
Printing career
Pettit supported himself by working in a print shop.
He was educated in the common schools of Frankfort and briefly attended
Georgetown College
Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...
in
Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was original ...
.
In 1864, he moved to
Owensboro, Kentucky, where he purchased a local newspaper called the ''Monitor''.
[Connelley and Coulter, p. 158] Upon taking control of the paper, he published a series of items vigorously criticizing the
Republican Party and its policies during 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 ...
.
[''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 141] On November 17, 1864, Pettit was arrested on orders from General
Stephen G. Burbridge on charges of being "notoriously disloyal" to the Union.
He was taken 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 transferred into
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
territory; he continued to travel behind Confederate lines for the duration of the war.
In May 1865, Pettit returned to Owensboro and found his print shop and printing press destroyed by federal authorities.
He traveled to
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
to purchase replacement equipment and, on hearing the story of his arrest and subsequent travels, the equipment dealer extended him a generous line of credit, allowing him to purchase more sophisticated equipment than had ever before been used in Owensboro.
With this new equipment, Pettit revived the ''Monitor'' and published his stories of wartime banishment, bringing him significant acclaim in Kentucky.
Moreover, he also published editorials by future
U.S. Senator Thomas C. McCreery, giving the ''Monitor'' further credibility and increasing its readership.
In December 1870, Pettit married Margaret Blair, the daughter of a prominent Owensboro merchant.
[''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 142] The couple had one son, Harvey Blair Pettit.
After many years of publishing the ''Monitor'', Pettit sold the paper to
Urey Woodson
Urey Woodson (August 16, 1859 - August 7, 1939) was a Kentucky Democrat and a newspaper editor and publisher.
Biography
He was the Kentucky railroad commissioner from 1891 to 1895. He was a member of Democratic National Committee from Kentucky fr ...
, who changed its name to the ''Owensboro Messenger'' (now the ''
Messenger-Inquirer
''The Messenger-Inquirer'' is a local newspaper in Owensboro, Kentucky. ''The Messenger-Inquirer'' serves 15,087 daily and 20,383 Sunday readers in five counties in western Kentucky.
History
The newspaper's roots trace back to 1875, when Lee Lum ...
'').
Political career
In 1868, Pettit was elected assistant
reading clerk in the
Kentucky House of Representatives, a position he held for six years.
Through the influence of Senator Thomas McCreery, Pettit was appointed assessor of internal revenue for the second district by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966โ2010 Japanese ...
Andrew Johnson in 1869 and served in this capacity through the end of Johnson's term.
Upon
James B. McCreary's election as
governor of Kentucky
The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...
in 1874, Pettit accepted an appointment as the governor's private secretary.
He later resigned this position after being elected
Reading Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives
The Reading Clerk of the United States House of Representatives reads bills, motions, and other papers before the United States House of Representatives, House and keeps track of changes to legislation made on the floor. During the vote for Speak ...
.
He retained this position until the Republicans regained a majority in the House in the
elections of 1880.
In 1882, Pettit sought election to the
U.S. House of Representatives, representing the
Second District.
He lost in the Democratic
primary by 150 votes to
James Franklin Clay of
Henderson Henderson may refer to:
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*Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname
*Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan
Places Argentina
*Henderson, Buenos Aires
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Canada
* H ...
.
The vote of
Union County was thought to be the deciding factor in the primary.
Contemporary biographers opined that Pettit had probably attended more Democratic state conventions than anyone else in Kentucky.
At each convention he attended, he was elected secretary.
He served as one of the secretaries at the
1884 Democratic National Convention
The 1884 Democratic National Convention was held July 8โ11, 1884 and chose Governor Grover Cleveland of New York their presidential nominee with the former Governor Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana as the vice presidential nominee. World Book
B ...
;
four years later, he was again chosen as a convention secretary and a member of the committee to officially notify
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
and
Allen G. Thurman of their nominations for president and
vice-president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
, respectively.
In 1890, he was chosen as a delegate to the Kentucky constitutional convention.
He successfully advocated for many changes to the
Kentucky Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the document that governs the Kentucky, Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was first adopted in 1792 and has since been rewritten three times and amended many more. The later versions were adopted in 179 ...
including the use of
secret ballot voting in state elections and the requirement of a
two-thirds majority 2/3 may refer to:
* A fraction with decimal value 0.6666...
* A way to write the expression "2 รท 3" ("two divided by three")
* 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines of the United States Marine Corps
* February 3
* March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – ...
for conviction in civil court cases.
In the early 1890s, Pettit's views began to differ from those of the Democratic Party.
Immediately following the constitutional convention, he was elected as an
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
to represent
Daviess County in the state House of Representatives.
Though he was elected by a large majority, his candidacy was bitterly contested in his district.
At the organizational meeting of the
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...
, he received four votes for
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
, all from representatives of districts in western Kentucky.
[Tapp and Klotter, p. 326]
Estranged from the Democratic Party by his refusal to identify with them during his race for the House, Pettit became a leader of the
Populist Party in Kentucky.
In 1893, he sought re-election to his seat as a Populist but was badly defeated by a Democratic candidate.
[Tapp and Klotter, p. 333] Redistricting and an inefficient legislative session were factors in the defeats of several Populist candidates during the 1893 elections.
In July 1895, the Populist Party nominated Pettit for governor.
[Tapp and Klotter, p. 495] He received the endorsement of
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
's ''New South'' newspaper, one of the largest
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
newspapers in the state.
[Harrison and Klotter, p. 267] The
American Protective Association
The American Protective Association (APA) was an American Anti-Catholicism, anti-Catholic secret society established in 1887 by Protestants. The organization was the largest anti-Catholic movement in the United States during the later part of the ...
(APA), an influential society opposed to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, endorsed the entire Republican ticket except the party's gubernatorial candidate,
William O. Bradley.
["Gov. Bradley A.P.A. Candidate". ''The New York Times''] The APA withheld its endorsement from Bradley because of rumors that some of his family members were Catholic, and the society was thought to favor Pettit until Bradley was reported to have joined the society in September 1895, forestalling their endorsement of Pettit.
Pettit was not invited to participate in a series of debates held throughout the state between Bradley and Democratic nominee
Parker Watkins Hardin.
[Tapp and Klotter, p. 351]
In the general election, Pettit garnered 16,911 votes, compared to 172,436 for Bradley and 163,524 for Hardin.
Although he had not been elected, his presence on the ballot had taken a significant number of Democratic votes from Hardin and resulted in the election of Bradley, Kentucky's first Republican governor.
Later life and death
Pettit never again sought public office, but remained interested and active in politics, notably campaigning for
William Goebel
William Justus Goebel (January 4, 1856 โ February 3, 1900) was an American Democratic politician who served as the 34th governor of Kentucky for four days in 1900, having been sworn in on his deathbed a day after being shot by an assassin. ...
during the contentious
1899 gubernatorial election.
[Tapp and Klotter, p. 502] He engaged in clearing and improving land in Daviess County, and the settlement that grew up on this land was named
Pettit in his honor.
Through a series of investments in various business ventures, Pettit built a substantial personal fortune.
A prominent philanthropist, Pettit identified with the
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
church and served as president of the Owensboro Masonic Temple and
Grand Master of the Kentucky Order of the
Free and Accepted Masons
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
.
Pettit's wife died in June 1913.
[Connelley and Coulter, p. 159] In September 1916, he married Alice Frakes.
Pettit died in Owensboro on November 29, 1931.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pettit, Thomas
1843 births
1931 deaths
American newspaper publishers (people)
American Presbyterians
Clerks
Georgetown College (Kentucky) alumni
Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Politicians from Frankfort, Kentucky
People of Kentucky in the American Civil War
Kentucky Populists