John P. Kennedy

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John Pendleton Kennedy

John Pendleton Kennedy (born October 25, 1795 in Baltimore , Maryland , † August 10, 1870 in Newport , Rhode Island ) was an American politician and writer. He served as Secretary of the Navy during Millard Fillmore's presidency .

Studies and military service

Born in Baltimore on October 25, 1795, the son of the businessman John Kennedy and his wife Nancy Pendleton, Kennedy graduated from Baltimore College in 1812 after his father went bankrupt (1809) . His younger brother, later Senator Anthony Kennedy , was born in 1810. He fought in the battles at Bladensburg and North Point during the British-American War of 1812 . He then worked as a lawyer, but his real interest was literature and politics.

Career

Kennedy, who was active as a politician and senator in the Whigs' party , was appointed secretary of the Chilean legation in 1823 , but never took office. Kennedy served in the Maryland House of Representatives from 1821 to 1823 ; He belonged to this Chamber of Parliament again in 1846 as its speaker . He was elected to succeed Isaac McKim in the United States House of Representatives, his re-election took place in 1840 and 1842, due to his fierce opposition to the annexation of the Republic of Texas , he failed in the subsequent election. Among other things, he used his influence in Congress to financially support Samuel Morse's attempts with the telegraph .

In July 1852 he was appointed Secretary of the Navy in his cabinet by US President Millard Fillmore . In this capacity he sent an expedition to Japan under Matthew C. Perry and also supported Elisha Kent Kane's second North Pole expedition.

When Fillmore left the office of President in 1853, Kennedy withdrew into private life and then mainly dealt with literature, factory and railroad affairs, but remained very interested in political events. After the Civil War, he sat down, although staunch supporter of the Union for the amnesty of in the Confederation participating Southern one. In 1853 he was elected to the American Philosophical Society and in 1863 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

In addition to political writings, he also published essays and short stories throughout his life. As a writer, he used the pseudonym Mark Littleton, particularly in his political satires . He died in Newport on August 18, 1870 and was buried in Baltimore. Several ships of the US Navy bore his name in his honor.

Publications

  • The Red Book (1818-19)
  • Swallow Barn (1832),
  • Horse-Shoe Robinson (1835)
  • Rob of the Bowl (1838)
  • Annals of Quodlibet (1840)
  • Memoirs of the Life of William Wirt (1849)
  • The cripple. A novel from the days of Karl II. German by Ernst Susemihl . 4 volumes. Chr. E. Kollmann, Leipzig 1855,
  • The Border States (1861)
  • Mr. Ambrose's letters on the rebellion (1865)
  • Collected Works of John Pendleton Kennedy (1870–72)
  • At Home and Abroad: A Series of Essays: With a Journal in Europe in 1867–68 (1872)

literature

  • Frank R. Shivers: Maryland Wits and Baltimore Bards , JHU Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8018-5810-0
  • Sacvan Bercovitch, Cyrus RK Patell: The Cambridge History of American Literature: Volume 2, Prose Writing 1820-1865 , Cambridge University Press, 1995, pages 61-62 ISBN 0-521-30106-8
  • Henry Theodore Tuckerman : The Life of John Pendleton Kennedy , New York, 1871
  • Charles H. Bohner: John Pendleton Kennedy, Gentleman from Baltimore , 1961

Web links

Commons : John P. Kennedy  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files
  • John P. Kennedy in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Member History: John P. Kennedy. American Philosophical Society, accessed October 21, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Kennedy, John P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kennedy, John Pendleton (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician and writer
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1795
PLACE OF BIRTH Baltimore , Maryland
DATE OF DEATH August 10, 1870
Place of death Newport , Rhode Island