John Pope (politician)

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John Pope

John Pope (born 1770 in Prince William County , Colony of Virginia , † July 12, 1845 in Springfield , Kentucky ) was an American politician who served as governor of the Arkansas Territory . He also represented the state of Kentucky in both houses of Congress .

Early years and political advancement

The exact date of birth of John Pope is unknown. Most of the sources, however, date from 1770. As a child, he lost an arm in an accident. He grew up in Kentucky and studied law. After passing his exams and being admitted to the bar, he practiced in Shelbyville . Pope's long political career began in 1802 with his election to the Kentucky House of Representatives . In the years 1806 to 1807 he was re-elected to this Chamber of Parliament.

Over time he became one of the most famous politicians in Kentucky and an opponent of Henry Clay . Between 1807 and 1813 he represented Kentucky as a member of the Democratic Republican Party in the US Senate . There he spoke out in 1812 against the war with England , which Clay strongly supported. From 1816 to 1819 he served as Secretary of State of Kentucky. In 1819, Pope joined Andrew Jackson and supported him in the following years. Between 1825 and 1829 Pope was a member of the Kentucky Senate . After Jackson took office as the new US President in 1829 , he appointed his friend Pope as the new Territorial Governor of Arkansas.

Territorial Governor

Pope arrived in Arkansas with his family in late May 1829. State Secretary Robert Crittenden had previously exercised power there. But this had been replaced by President Jackson and was now working in the background against the new government. The argument was harsh and sometimes unfair, especially on Crittenden's side. But he had little success in the long term. One of the first steps taken by the new governor was to change the administrative system. State incumbents were no longer appointed, but elected. He wanted to bring more democracy to the area and at the same time curb corruption and nepotism. Pope also promoted the building of an infrastructure in Arkansas and laid the foundation stone for later accession to the Union. To improve the postal service, Pope proposed a weekly boat service between Little Rock and Memphis in Tennessee and to New Orleans in Louisiana . However, the parliament decided in favor of the newly opened overland route.

Pope's term in Arkansas ended earlier than he expected. Meanwhile, he had distanced himself from President Jackson's policies. Above all, he disagreed with Jackson's action against the Second Bank of the United States . After he had informed Jackson of his concerns by letter, he was no longer confirmed in this office in 1835. Instead, Jackson appointed William Savin Fulton as the new and last territorial governor of Arkansas.

Another résumé

After his time in Arkansas ended, Pope became a lawyer in Springfield. He moved from Jackson's Democratic Party to the Whigs and sat for this party as a representative of the seventh electoral district of Kentucky between 1837 and 1843 in the United States House of Representatives in Washington .

John Pope died in 1845. He was the uncle of the Civil War general of the same name . His younger brother Nathaniel (1784-1850) was a congressman for Illinois.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Kentucky Secretary of State: John Pope (English).