Background
Richard Mentor Johnson was born on October 17, 1780, in the newly founded settlement of "Beargrass" (present-day Louisville, Kentucky), the fifth of Robert and Jemima (Suggett) Johnson's eleven children.
(Title: Review of a report of the Committee, to whom was r...)
Title: Review of a report of the Committee, to whom was referred the several petitions on the subject of mails on the Sabbath : presented to the Senate of the United States, January 16, 1829, by the Hon. Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, chairman of said committee. Author: Richard Mentor Johnson Publisher: Gale, Sabin Americana Description: Based on Joseph Sabin's famed bibliography, Bibliotheca Americana, Sabin Americana, 1500--1926 contains a collection of books, pamphlets, serials and other works about the Americas, from the time of their discovery to the early 1900s. Sabin Americana is rich in original accounts of discovery and exploration, pioneering and westward expansion, the U.S. Civil War and other military actions, Native Americans, slavery and abolition, religious history and more. Sabin Americana offers an up-close perspective on life in the western hemisphere, encompassing the arrival of the Europeans on the shores of North America in the late 15th century to the first decades of the 20th century. Covering a span of over 400 years in North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, this collection highlights the society, politics, religious beliefs, culture, contemporary opinions and momentous events of the time. It provides access to documents from an assortment of genres, sermons, political tracts, newspapers, books, pamphlets, maps, legislation, literature and more. Now for the first time, these high-quality digital scans of original works are available via print-on-demand, making them readily accessible to libraries, students, independent scholars, and readers of all ages. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ SourceLibrary: Huntington Library DocumentID: SABCP00018700 CollectionID: CTRG10138086-B PublicationDate: 18290101 SourceBibCitation: Selected Americana from Sabin's Dictionary of books relating to America Notes: Pages also numbered 95-122 Collation: 27 p. ; 24 cm
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Richard Mentor Johnson was born on October 17, 1780, in the newly founded settlement of "Beargrass" (present-day Louisville, Kentucky), the fifth of Robert and Jemima (Suggett) Johnson's eleven children.
Since there were no schools on the frontier, Richard started his formal education at the age of 15. He attended Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and later studied law as an apprentice of George Nicholas and James Brown.
In 1802, Johnson was admitted to the Kentucky bar and subsequently established his own legal practice. Later, he owned a retail store and pursued a number of business ventures with his brothers.
In 1804, Richard Johnson was elected to represent Scott County in the Kentucky House of Representatives and served on the Committee on Courts of Justice. During his term, Johnson promoted law to protect settlers from land speculators.
In 1807, Johnson was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the U. S. House of Representatives and represented Kentucky's 4th district, serving until 1813. He served as the Chairman of the Committee on Claims during the 11th U. S. Congress.
Subsequently, he was re-elected and became a member of the U. S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 3rd district, a capacity in which he served from 1813 to 1819. Therefore, Johnson served six consecutive terms, between 1807 and 1819.
In December 1819, he resigned his post in the state legislature and was elected the United States Senator from Kentucky, where he served until March 1829. Johnson served as chairman of the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads in the 19th and 20th Congresses.
After failing in his bid for Senatorial re-election, Johnson returned to the House in 1829 and served as a member of U. S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 5th District, until 1833. Thereafter, he represented Kentucky’s 13th District as a U. S. Congressman, between 1833 and 1837.
In 1836, Johnson was nominated for vice presidency on the Democratic ticket as President Martin Van Buren’s running mate. In the elections, for the first time in American history, the Electoral College could not agree among the four vice presidential candidates. As a result, Johnson became the only Vice President selected by the Senate under the rules of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
In March 1837, Johnson was inaugurated at the office of the Vice President of United States, serving until March 1841.
In the elections of 1840, the Democratic National Convention refused to nominate anyone for the post of vice president. Therefore, Van Buren and Johnson were defeated by the corresponding Whig candidates.
Upon finishing his term, Johnson returned to Kentucky and again represented Scott County in the Kentucky House from 1841 to 1843.
In 1850, he was re-elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives, where he served for two weeks until his death on November 19, 1850.
(Title: Review of a report of the Committee, to whom was r...)
Quotations:
"Our Constitution recognises no other power than that of persuasion, for enforcing religious observances. "
"Let the professors of Christianity recommend their religion by deeds of benevolence - by Christian meekness - by lives of temperance and holiness. "
In 1813 Richard Mentor Johnson was elected as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 3rd district. In 1829 he served as a member of U. S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 5th District.
Upon his father’s death, Johnson inherited Julia Chinn and got involved in a relationship with her. The couple was blessed with two daughters but Johnson and Chinn were prohibited from marrying because Chinn was a slave.