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(Excerpt from Speech of Mr. T. J. Rusk, of Texas, on the M...)
Excerpt from Speech of Mr. T. J. Rusk, of Texas, on the Mexican War: Delivered in the Senate of the United States, February 17, 1848 After giving at full length the reasons for the recommendation which he was about to make, he proceeds to say. 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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judge lawyer politician Soldier
Thomas Jefferson Rusk was born in Pendleton District, S. C. , the son of John and Mary (Sterritt) Rusk. His father, a stonemason, had emigrated from Ireland in 1791 and settled on land belonging to John C. Calhoun. His mother taught him to read the Bible and other literature and Calhoun furnished him law books.
Rusk obtained the position of clerk of the district court in the office of William Gresham. He studied in this office and worked in a grocery store until 1825, when he removed to Clarksville, Ga. , and began the practice of law. There he remained for ten years, was unusually prosperous in his profession, and became the partner of his father-in-law in the mercantile business.
He invested heavily in a gold-mining company, the managers of which embezzled its funds and fled to Texas. He was financially ruined and pursued them to Nacogdoches only to find that they had squandered the funds. Well pleased with the new country, he decided to settle there and engage in farming and stock-raising. He became interested in the quarrel with Mexico, was elected captain of a company of troops, and joined Austin at San Antonio. He was soon made colonel and was authorized to raise men, arms, and food in East Texas.
In the convention of 1836 he took an active part, signed the declaration of independence for Texas, aided in the drafting and adoption of the constitution of the republic, and was elected on March 16 secretary of war in the provisional government. When the convention adjourned, the situation looked gloomy for the Texas cause. It is claimed that President Burnet sent him to influence Houston to stop the retreat toward Nacogdoches and to fight Santa Anna, and that he succeeded in this delicate mission (but see Samuel Houston sketch). At San Jacinto Rusk fought bravely and led successful charges after Houston was wounded. He took command of the Texas army after the battle and served several months, was made secretary of war in Houston's cabinet, but soon resigned to enter the practice of law at Nacogdoches.
He was elected major-general of militia and after the adjournment of Congress cleared East Texas of hostile Indian tribes by October 1839. This aggressive policy was contrary to the wishes of President Houston but met the full approval of his successor, M. B. Lamar.
Congress had elected Rusk chief justice of the supreme court in 1838, and he presided over its first session from January to June 1840. After four years of service to the Republic of Texas, usually without pay, he returned to Nacogdoches to resume the practice of law; but threats of a Mexican invasion of Texas had created a demand for a counter-invasion of Mexico, and in 1843, over the veto of President Houston, he was made major-general to lead the campaign. Houston, desiring an armistice, withheld his commission for five months and hampered the proposed expedition in other ways. Rusk finally resigned in disgust. He favored the annexation of Texas to the United States and was president of the Texas convention that confirmed annexation and formulated the constitution of 1845.
He was elected to the Senate of the United States in 1846, 1851, and 1857. There he and Houston worked harmoniously for the interests of Texas. He was seldom absent from his post and was considered the working member of the Texas delegation. He enjoyed the renewed friendship with Calhoun, but this intimacy served to handicap him in his relations with President Polk. He declined a commission as major-general but as a senator gave full support to the administration in the war with Mexico.
He served for several terms as chairman of the committee on post offices and post roads and in March 1857 was elected president pro tempore of the Senate. He was the choice of many delegates as nominee for president in the Democratic convention of 1856 but was unwilling to have his name entered. He is said to have declined an offer to enter Buchanan's cabinet as postmaster-general. He was a man of large and impressive figure, with deepset, dark eyes. His good judgment, unfailing courtesy and tact made him one of the popular men in the federal Senate. He was a forceful speaker but not an orator, and his most effective work was done in committees. His fondness for home life and retirement caused him to resign several important offices and to decline to seek several others. His devotion to his family, including his brother David, many years his junior, attracted the notice of Houston and other contemporaries. Loss of his wife brought him a despondency, which resulted in his suicide the following year at his home in Nacogdoches.
Rusk participated with bravery in the defeat of Santa Anna on April 21, 1836, in the Battle of San Jacinto.
As a member of the House of Representatives in the Second Congress of the republic, he took a leading part in the enactment of laws concerning the courts.
Rusk worked consistently for the improvement of the mail and transportation service. He was a leader in the long fight for government support of a Southern Pacific railroad. He fought steadfastly for the Rio Grande boundary as opposed to the Nueces River and voted finally for the present arrangement as provided in the compromises of 1850. He sponsored the final settlement of the debt of Texas in 1854. He favored the Kansas-Nebraska bill, and he denounced the principles and methods of the Know-Nothing group at every opportunity.
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(Excerpt from Speech of Mr. T. J. Rusk, of Texas, on the M...)
Rusk was married in 1827 to Mary F. Cleveland, the daughter of John Cleveland. He had seven children, two of whom died in infancy. His wife died of tuberculosis in 1856.
