I68718: Richard Thomas BARBOUR (ABT 1753

Notes

The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume III

Crittenden, Robert, acting-governor of Arkansas Territory, was born near Versailles, Woodford county, Ky., Jan. 1, 1797; the youngest son of Maj. John Crittenden. He was given & liberal education, studied law and immigrated to Missouri Territory, resettling in that portion set apart in 1818 as Arkansas Territory. He assisted in the formation of a provisional government, vested in a governor and three judges of the superior court, preparatory to the regular territorial government organized in 1819.

He was appointed by President Monroe the first secretary of the territory, and in the protracted and frequent absence of Governor Miller he was acting governor. As such he convened the legislature at Arkansas Post, the temporary capital, Aug. 3, 1819. This legislature enacted the first six laws framed for the government of the territory, and after promulgating the same adjourned on the evening of the same day sine die. He was sent to Washington, D.C., to secure special legislation for the territory in 1820 and was its secretary, 1819-29. He was one of the famous "townsite committee" which purchased and became the owner of the site of Little Rock and made the place the state capital. He founded the Advocate as a Whig organ in Little Rock. In 1827 his Support of Robert C. Olden against Henry W. Conway as territorial delegate to congress led to a challenge from Delegate Conway. Crittenden appealed to Conway to perform his duty to the territory by meeting the obligations of his office and if on his return from Washington nothing short of what he then demanded would satisfy him, he (Crittenden) would meet his demands. On receiving this conciliatory note Conway published Crittenden as a coward and thus cut off all honorable accommodation but the field. The duel was fought Oct. 29, 1827. Mr. Crittenden was accompanied to the field by his brother, John J. Crittenden, with whom he had studied law and who had just been removed from the office of U.S. district attorney by President Jackson, and Col. Ben Dosha acted as his second. Mr. Conway was mortally wounded and Mr. Crittenden escaped uninjured. He was prominently mentioned as an available candidate for U.S. senator when the territory should be admitted to statehood, but he died before that event. He was married Oct. 1, 1822, to Ann Innes Morris, near Frankfort, Ky., and they had four children born in Little Rock, Ark. He died at Vicksburg, Miss., Dec. 18, 1834.

"Robert Crittenden was born in Kentucky, on January 1, 1797. Crittenden spent a year in the army and was discharged a first lieutenant. He spent time as a captain during the Seminole War and studied law thereafter in Russellville. Albert Pike characterized Crittenden as “a thoroughly well-bred Kentucky gentleman.” Crittenden was the first acting governor of the Arkansas Territory and championed the creation of the capitol in Little Rock. Source: Alonzo D. Camp, "Ferries Over the Arkansas," Pulaski County Historical Review, 29 (Fall 1981), 52-60

Robert Crittenden had operated a ferry at Little Rock for some time before 1832, where the old Military Road came in from Memphis. Source: Arkansas Gazette, May 21; 28, 1967.

A Letter to his brother, John Jordan Crittenden, on May 4, 1834.

"I had been imprudent enough some seven years ago to become security for about four thousand dollars, every cent of which I have been compelled to pay - I had sold my ferry and other property to enable me to build my house. When the house was half finished, a court of chancery set aside erroneously the contract and compelled me to refund and take back the departed property. At that time there was no appeal - and thus I was left with all my debts upon me and the expensive building, with all my resources dried up. -My embarrassments were seized upon as a certain means of ascertaining my ruin, and no labour was spared in collecting my debts and pressing me for the money." Source: Arkansas Gazette, May 28, 1967. Photo Source: William F. Pope, Early Days in Arkansas, (Little Rock: Frederick W. Allsopp, 1895) p.
http://www.anpa.ualr.edu/FT_Indian_Removal/People&Places/robert_c rittenden.htm

3 Robert Crittenden, Secretary of Arkansas Territory b: January 01, 1797 in near Versailles, Woodford County, Ky., d: December 18, 1834 in Vicksburg, Warren County, Miss. Mortally wounded Henry Wharton Conway in a duel on October 29, 1827. : Crittenden County, Ark. is named for him;

Robert Crittenden Shaped Territorial Arkansas

VICKSBURG — We report, with sadness, the death of Robert Crittenden on December 18, 1834, in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Born in 1797 in Kentucky, Crittenden served as Arkansas’s first territorial secretary. Appointed in 1819 by President James Monroe, he served until 1829, when President Andrew Jackson replaced him with William Fulton.

As secretary, Crittenden exerted great influence over Arkansas, and as a result, caused great controversy. He served as acting governor during the absences of the appointed governors, James Miller and George Izard. Crittenden arrived in Arkansas to assume his duties a full six months before Miller. By the time Miller arrived, the territorial government had been established by Crittenden, and all appointed officials in the territory owed their jobs to the secretary. Crittenden was also one of those responsible for the relocation of the capital from its original site at Arkansas Post upriver to Little Rock in 1821.

Largely because of his assumption of authority, Crittenden made many enemies. The grudges during Crittenden’s term as secretary led to the creation of factions in Arkansas politics. The anti-Crittenden group became the basis of Arkansas’s Democratic Party.

The most famous incident of Crittenden’s tenure was his duel with Henry Conway. Conway was Arkansas’s territorial delegate to Congress, elected in 1823 and reelected in 1825 with Crittenden’s support. A split developed between the two men in 1826. When Conway ran again in 1827, Crittenden supported Conway’s opponent, Robert Oden. Conway had the support of the Arkansas Gazette and its editor, William Woodruff. After a particularly nasty campaign, Conway emerged as the winner. Crittenden then challenged Conway to a duel. The two men met October 29, 1827, on the east bank of the Mississippi River, because dueling was illegal in Arkansas. Conway was wounded in the duel and died 11 days later.

After Crittenden’s term as territorial secretary ended, he practiced law in little Rock and continued to have some influence politically. In 1831, his faction won a majority of the seats in the Arkansas legislature, which then tried to help Crittenden financially.

The federal government had given Arkansas ten sections of public land to sell. The money from the land sale was to be used to build a capitol building. Crittenden offered to exchange his Little Rock mansion for the ten sections of land. The home could be used as a capitol without having to build one and Crittenden could sell the land.

The legislature passed the bill authorizing the exchange, but Governor John Pope vetoed it. The governor’s action turned out to be a wise one, for the land sold for $32,700, while Crittenden’s house sold for $6,700.

In 1833, Crittenden started a newspaper to represent his faction’s political views. He called it the Arkansas Advocate. Also in 1833, Crittenden ran for the position of delegate to Congress, a post that had been held since Henry Conway’s death by Conway’s cousin, Ambrose Sevier. Sevier defeated Crittenden by an overwhelming margin.

Crittenden returned to his law practice until his death in Vicksburg, where he was arguing a case before the western division of the Mississippi Supreme Court.
http://www.oldstatehouse.com/educational_programs/classroom/arkan sas_news/detail.asp?id=401&issue_id=15&page=3

My Southern Family

Richard Thomas BARBOUR

ABT 1753 - ____

ID Number: I68718

Notes

Sources

ALBREDA de BRUMPTON

ABT 1244 - ____

ID Number: I59435

Notes

Sources

Jordan Collier CHRISTIAN

-

ID Number: I84639

Notes

Sources

Gov. Robert CRITTENDEN Arkansas Territory

1 Jan 1797 - 18 Dec 1834

ID Number: I63351

Notes

Sources

Herbert Walker LINDSEY

15 Jul 1887 - ____

ID Number: I103909

Sources

Mary Turner TALIAFERRO

13 Mar 1772 - 1828

ID Number: I40576

Sources

Dr. Henry Eugene THORNTON

29 Jul 1871 - 7 Mar 1954

ID Number: I15372

Sources

Thomas TURNER

BEF 1705 - 1768

ID Number: I94810

Sources

John Richard David WALLACE Sr.

My Southern Family

Richard Thomas BARBOUR

ABT 1753 - ____

ID Number: I68718

Notes

Sources

ALBREDA de BRUMPTON

ABT 1244 - ____

ID Number: I59435

Notes

Sources

Jordan Collier CHRISTIAN

____ - ____

ID Number: I84639

Notes

Sources

Gov. Robert CRITTENDEN Arkansas Territory

1 Jan 1797 - 18 Dec 1834

ID Number: I63351

Notes

Sources

Herbert Walker LINDSEY

15 Jul 1887 - ____

ID Number: I103909

Sources

Mary Turner TALIAFERRO

13 Mar 1772 - 1828

ID Number: I40576

Sources

Dr. Henry Eugene THORNTON

29 Jul 1871 - 7 Mar 1954

ID Number: I15372

Sources

Thomas TURNER

BEF 1705 - 1768

ID Number: I94810

Sources

John Richard David WALLACE Sr.

-