Flex Grundy and John Sevier
Felix Grundy (1777-1840) came from a frontier family that moved from Virginia to Pennsylvania and then to Kentucky. Native Americans had killed at least three of his brothers. His father died when he was young, yet his mother secured an education for her “youngest and favorite son.” He read law in Kentucky with a leading lawyer of the West. After serving in the Kentucky legislature and then the state’s chief justice, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Like Clay, he was a gifted orator, but in Kentucky they clashed over several issues. When he took his seat in the House of Representatives in 1812 he was 34. He joined Henry Clay urging war with Great Britain.[1]
John Sevier (1745-1815) was, unlike other War Hawks, a seasoned warrior and politician in 1812. During the Revolutionary War he fought in the North Carolina militia defending the frontier from the British and Cherokees. Like Henry Clay and Richard Mentor Johnson he was a Democratic-Republican. He joined the War Hawks in urging war with Great Britain.[2]
Next: Who were Peter Buell Porter and John C. Calhoun?
Look for it Monday, June 16
[1] “Felix Grundy” American National Biography.
[2] “John Sevier” American National Biography.
