Background
He was born on March 3, 1791 in Caswell County, North Carolina, United States, the son of William and Hannah (Mitchell) Saunders. His mother died soon after his birth and the family moved to Sumner County, Tenn.
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Address delivered before the two literary societies of Wake Forest college, June 9, 1852
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Speech of Mr. Saunders, on the Proposition to Amend the Constitution of the United States, Respecting the Election of President and Vice President: ... February 24, 1826 (Classic Reprint)
(Excerpt from Speech of Mr. Saunders, on the Proposition t...)
Excerpt from Speech of Mr. Saunders, on the Proposition to Amend the Constitution of the United States, Respecting the Election of President and Vice President: Delivered in the House of Representatives, February 24, 1826 In other countries, sir, it may be difficult for the histo lian to trace the originof their Governments to their true foundation, as they have most usually sprung from f1aud, corruption, or-vi'olence, in which the object has been a change of one dynasty for another. But with us,ever.ything is easily traced to its source. We know ours is a writ ten compact, ente1ed into by the agents of the People, ratified and confirmed by their assent. That the Revo lotion which gave bi1th to this government, was coma menced, prosecuted, and terminated, by the People. That the g1 eat object of this government is what is merely professed by the governments of the old world the political happiness of its People. For, whilst they profess the same object, the real problem 'with them is, what form of goveinment will most effectually enslave the subject, without disclosing the chains that bind, or the hands which impose them. These are Cardinal truths in our political faith, which should be borne in mind, whenever we approach that instrument, which secures and pei petuates their enjoyment. In examining this particular provision of the Consstitus tion, it may not be amiss to turn to the records of that convention which gave it birth, and though composed of some of the purest spirits of our Revolutionary l'athers, with the Father of his Country at their head, we shall find, that, upon this subject, involved 111 mazes, and perpled with doubts-there existed great division of sentiment. For on this point alone, there were eight or or ten distinct propositions. It originated with the ces lebrated resolutions of a member from Virginia, (gov. Randolph) declaring in favor of a National Exec'utivei its prog1ess was, that he should be chosen by the National Legislature, and its termination 1n favor of the choice by the People, through the agency of electors. The division of opinion, was as to the 'time of his sere vice, whether for the term of good behavior, for a great er or less number of years; and as to the manner of electe ing him, whether by the National Legislature, 011 the People. Fortunately for the country, the democratic principle prevailed in both cases; the 'term of service was fixed at four years, and the election was intended to bathe been given to the People. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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Romulus Mitchell Saunders
Edit ProfileEducation
Romulus was sent to North Carolina to be educated and, prepared for college at Caswell and Hyco academies, entered the University of North Carolina in 1809 and was a student there for two years. Returning to Tennessee, he studied law under Hugh L. White.
Career
He was licensed in 1812. He then went back to his native state and settled in Milton.
Saunders entered public life in 1815 as a member of the North Carolina House of Commons. In 1816 he was a member of the state Senate but returned to the House in 1818 and served until 1821, being speaker in 1819 and 1820.
Elected to Congress, he served three terms (1821 - 27). In 1820 and 1824 he supported William H. Crawford for president and voted for him when the election was thrown into the House of Representatives. In 1828 he was elected attorney general of North Carolina, occupying that office until 1831.
Elected a judge of the superior court in 1835, he resigned in 1840 to accept the Democratic nomination for governor. With his opponent, John M. Morehead, Saunders engaged in the first statewide canvass, and although he proved himself the abler campaigner, he lost the election.
The next year he was again elected to Congress and served two terms (1841 - 45). In 1842 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate.
On Feb. 25, 1846, President Polk appointed him minister to Spain and gave him a special commission to negotiate for the purchase of Cuba for $100, 000, 000. Saunders did not bring up the matter at once, the Amistad case and a prolonged discussion of Spanish debts to American citizens making the time inappropriate. He spent most of 1847 in Paris, leaving Thomas C. Reynolds, the secretary, in charge of the legation. A quarrel arose between them in which Saunders appears clearly in the wrong but which led to the dismissal of Reynolds. In July 1848 Saunders broached the Cuban matter and in December received a curt refusal to discuss the question.
He resigned May 1, 1849, and returned to Raleigh, which had been his residence since 1831. From 1850 to 1854 he represented Wake County in the House of Commons. In 1852 he was again unsuccessfully a candidate for the United States Senate, but was elected superior court judge, remaining on the bench until 1867.
He was a member of the North Carolina code commission of 1852-54.
Achievements
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He was appointed a member of the commission on the French Spoliation claims, in connection with which he acquired considerable reputation. He was a delegate to the Democratic national convention and moved the adoption of the two-thirds rule which became a permanent part of Democratic nominating machinery. In late years he was appointed in a position of minister to Spain. Saunders served on the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees for forty-five years.
Works
book
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Address delivered before the two literary societies of Wake Forest college, June 9, 1852
(This reproduction was printed from a digital file created...)
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Speech of Mr. Saunders, on the Proposition to Amend the Constitution of the United States, Respecting the Election of President and Vice President: ... February 24, 1826 (Classic Reprint)
(Excerpt from Speech of Mr. Saunders, on the Proposition t...)
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Address delivered before the two literary societies of Wake Forest college, June 9, 1852
Personality
He had excellent abilities but lacked balance. His partisanship and his ceaseless quest for public office made enemies for him, but he always retained a large measure of popularity.
Quotes from others about the person
He won from John Quincy Adams the following characterization: "There is not a more cankered or venomous reptile in the country" (Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, 1876, XI, 197)
According to biographer H. G. Jones, "He was a man of considerable ability and talent, but he was rough-hewn in his appearance and speech, often intemperate in his statements, and intensely partisan in his associations. He was popular among the rank-and-file Democrats, but his inveterate pursuit of public office eventually diminished his influence among party leaders. "
Connections
On Dec. 22, 1812, he married Rebecca Peine Carter, who died after having borne him three sons and two daughters; on May 26, 1823, he married Anna Heyes Johnson, the daughter of William Johnson, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, by whom he had two sons and four daughters.
- Father:
- William Saunders
- Mother:
- Hannah (Mitchell) Saunders
- Spouse:
- Anna Heyes Johnson
- Spouse:
- Rebecca Peine Carter
- opponent:
- John M. Morehead
- father-in-law:
- William Johnson
- Daughter:
- Sarah E. Saunders
- Daughter:
- Julia A. Saunders
- Daughter:
- Margaret Madeline Saunders
- Son:
- Louis McLane Saunders
- Son:
- William Johnson Saunders
- teacher:
- Hugh L. White
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Born
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Died
April 21, 1867 (aged 76) -
Resting place
Old City Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States -
Nationality
American