420:, and instead supported a less provocative set of resolutions introduced by Temple which essentially asked the state legislature to let East Tennessee break away and join the Union. Fleming was among the delegates appointed to a secret committee tasked with carrying the business of the Convention during adjournment. Years later, when Temple wrote about the Convention in his book,
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differ as to what happened next. According to
Fleming, he challenged Mitchel to a duel, but Mitchel refused. Mitchel, however, denied that Fleming made any such challenge. He stated Fleming appeared to be at a loss for words in this second encounter, so he merely dismissed Fleming as a "whipped man" and left the scene.
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column that had ridiculed him. After words were exchanged, Mitchel struck
Fleming with a cane, and a minor brawl ensued before police intervened and dispersed the crowd that had gathered. After an hour or so had passed, Fleming returned to the street and demanded Mitchel's presence, though accounts
530:
In 1873, Governor Brown appointed
Fleming Superintendent of Public Instruction, which oversaw the state's public school system. The position had been created earlier that year as part of a reorganization effort that aimed to provide greater access to the state's public schools. He was removed from
455:
After the Union Army recaptured
Knoxville in late 1863, Fleming returned to the city. He was appointed secretary of the East Tennessee Relief Association, which had been organized to provide aid to the region's Unionists. He was offered an appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of
404:
was among the few
Unionists in attendance, thwarted a vote on a series of pro-secession resolutions by initiating a complicated parliamentary maneuver that confused the convention chairman and forced the meeting to adjourn. The extra time allowed people from the rural parts of the county—
490:
In his editorials, Fleming described the
Conservative faction as an all-embracing movement, consisting of "Confederates and Unionists, Democrats and Whigs." He criticized Brownlow's franchise law, which denied former Confederates the right to vote, as unconstitutional, and argued that Brownlow
499:
with serving in the
Confederate government (which would have made him ineligible for public office at the time). In October 1868, Fleming, who faced frequent threats from Radicals, was ambushed outside a Knoxville grocery store and knocked "partially senseless" from a blow to the head.
399:
as "the youngest of the Union leaders of East
Tennessee," Fleming played an important role in energizing the region's Unionists during the early days of the secession crisis. At a countywide meeting in Knoxville in late November 1860, Fleming, who along with Temple and
405:
where there was greater support for the Union— to travel to
Knoxville. When the meeting reconvened in early December, Unionists outnumbered secessionists, and a series of resolutions introduced by Fleming declaring secession unconstitutional were adopted.
435:, Fleming took the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, though East Tennessee's Unionists still considered him a Union supporter. In December 1861, Fleming was arrested by Confederate authorities for harboring a Union fugitive, fellow state legislator
443:
acquitted both
Hodsden and Fleming, however, and Fleming returned to the legislature. When the Union Army captured Nashville in February 1862, Fleming fled with the state government to Memphis. By early 1863, however, he had fled to Union territory in
582:
In November 1890, Fleming attempted suicide while staying at the Lamar House in Knoxville. He survived, but his mental state continued to decline in his later years. He died in Knoxville on October 28, 1900, and was interred in
448:. During this period, he wrote a humorous article mocking the state government's hasty flight from Nashville, which was published in various newspapers. In August 1863, he delivered a petition to President
579:, for its comments on the early settlers of East Tennessee. Calling Fleming a "liar, coward and scoundrel," Phelan challenged him to a duel. Fleming declined the challenge in a sarcasm-laced response.
371:
Fleming remained politically connected throughout the late 1850s and early 1860s. He served as secretary of the state's American Party (Know Nothing) convention in May 1857, and was a member of the
503:
In August 1869, Fleming was again elected to Knox County's seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives, part of the Conservative wave that swept the Radicals out of power. He was nominated for
527:. He was occasionally considered a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, but never received it due to what Temple described as "certain irregularities in his personal habits."
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preferred to "deluge Tennessee with blood rather than suffer a peaceful defeat at the ballot-box." In late 1868, he came to the defense of newly elected Speaker of the Tennessee Senate
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507:, but was defeated, 53 votes to 25, by William Perkins. He served as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He did not seek reelection to a second term.
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movement after the collapse of the national Whig Party in the mid-1850s. Arguing that "Americans should rule America," Fleming used the columns of the
348:, who spent time in Knoxville while in exile and befriended the city's Democrats. In October of that year, Mitchel confronted Fleming in front of the
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296:, graduating in 1851 after winning the school's Robertson prize medal for oratory. During the early 1850s, he taught at the Rittenhouse Academy in
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535:, who wanted to give the position to a West Tennessean to provide a more balanced geographic representation in the state government.
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due to a disagreement with the paper's publisher. He turned to the study of law under the guidance of prominent Knoxville attorney
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235:(December 12, 1832 – October 28, 1900) was an American newspaper editor, attorney and politician, active primarily in
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after Tennessee had seceded in June. He opposed a series of hostile resolutions introduced by the Convention's president,
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in May 1861, Fleming was appointed secretary. He served in the same capacity at the Convention's second session in
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in the 1872 presidential race. During the same period, he campaigned for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate,
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Fleming campaigned against secession on the eve of the Civil War, and served as secretary of the pro-Union
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from Ramage and shut down its publication, essentially transferring its readership to the
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Tennessee by Lincoln, but turned it down. He supported Democratic presidential nominee
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during the presidential election of 1864, and subsequently became a lifelong Democrat.
368:. He was admitted to the bar in late 1858, and became a partner in Baxter's law firm.
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until late 1878, when he resigned and formed a law partnership with H.H. Ingersoll.
309:, a newspaper that had been published in Knoxville since 1816. Like many Tennessee
261:, and was appointed Tennessee's first Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1873.
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during the latter half of the 19th century. He rose to prominence as editor of the
178:
561:. During the 1880s, he worked as an editor for various newspapers, including the
487:. Fleming worked as the new paper's editor, and Ramage served as its publisher.
245:
in the late 1850s, and worked as the editor of various newspapers, including the
496:
878:
207:
910:
Annual Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for Tennessee
557:
In 1880, Fleming served as an elector for Democratic presidential candidate
463:
After the war, Fleming joined the Conservative faction in opposition to the
289:
236:
257:, in the decades following the Civil War. He also served two terms in the
571:. In April 1890, Fleming became embroiled in a quarrel with Congressman
452:
demanding he order the Union Army to invade and liberate East Tennessee.
445:
375:'s state executive committee in 1859. In 1860, he was a delegate to the
475:
to support Conservative positions. In December of the same year, the
341:
as the most "violent know-nothing Fillmore journal in the State."
427:
In August 1861, Fleming was elected to Knox County's seat in the
815:
Lincolnites and Rebels: A Divided Town in the American Civil War
383:, where he supported the party's eventual presidential nominee,
268:
in 1861. After the war, he opposed the policies of Governor
879:'Fare well to all Radicals': Redeeming Tennessee, 1869-1870
718:
The Street Fight at Knoxville Between Mitchell and Fleming
881:," PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2013, p. 184.
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Senter: The Coup d'Etat of the Radicals in Tennessee
292:
minister, and Mary (Miller) Fleming. He studied at
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16:American newspaper editor, attorney and politician
1086:Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives
424:, he used Fleming's minutes as a primary source.
313:, Fleming threw his support behind the nativist
303:In May 1855, Fleming was hired as editor of the
344:In 1857, Fleming quarreled with Irish Patriot
86:October 4, 1869 – September 30, 1871
8:
1111:Southern Unionists in the American Civil War
907:Tennessee Department of Public Instruction,
735:Proceedings of the American State Convention
771:(R. Clarke and Company, 1899), pp. 346-363.
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531:office in 1875 by newly elected Governor
321:to support the presidential candidacy of
817:(Oxford University Press, 2006), p. 145.
690:(Cosmopolitan Press, 1912), pp. 118-122.
538:In February 1876, Fleming cofounded the
495:, who had been charged by state senator
360:In June 1858, Fleming resigned from the
53:October 7, 1861 – February 1862
1081:19th-century American newspaper editors
1030:Clarksville (TN) Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle
1013:Clarksville (TN) Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle
792:
790:
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408:At the first session of the pro-Union
337:. One newspaper described Fleming's
7:
439:, and held for several days. Judge
325:and the gubernatorial candidacy of
1126:19th-century Tennessee politicians
1066:People from Rogersville, Tennessee
429:Tennessee House of Representatives
259:Tennessee House of Representatives
36:Tennessee House of Representatives
14:
1096:19th-century American legislators
1076:Emory and Henry University alumni
624:East Tennessee Historical Society
565:, one of the predecessors of the
471:. In June 1867, he launched the
1071:People from Knoxville, Tennessee
782:East Tennessee and the Civil War
769:East Tennessee and the Civil War
701:John Mitchel: The Irish Poltroon
620:The French Broad-Holston Country
575:, after blasting Phelan's book,
479:merged with William J. Ramage's
422:East Tennessee and the Civil War
996:Jonesborough Herald and Tribune
431:. The state having joined the
391:Civil War and postwar politics
288:, the son of David Fleming, a
253:(which he cofounded), and the
1:
467:and the policies of Governor
433:Confederate States of America
866:Nashville Union and American
802:Nashville Union and American
722:Nashville Union and American
651:Nashville Union and American
550:. He continued editing the
924:Gov. Porter on Dress Parade
577:School History of Tennessee
1142:
992:From the Jonesboro Journal
845:A Few Items From Knoxville
544:Knoxville Press and Herald
485:Knoxville Press and Herald
379:'s national convention in
377:Constitutional Union Party
329:, and criticized Governor
327:Meredith Poindexter Gentry
247:Knoxville Press and Herald
222:Attorney, newspaper editor
947:, 18 February 1876, p. 2.
913:, 30 June 1906, p. 67-68.
804:, 17 November 1868, p. 1.
752:State Executive Committee
519:for Democratic candidate
515:Fleming campaigned as an
469:William Gannaway Brownlow
410:East Tennessee Convention
266:East Tennessee Convention
226:
112:
79:
46:
28:
1049:, 6 November 1890, p. 3.
1032:, 4 November 1890, p. 1.
981:, 1 December 1878, p. 2.
898:, 20 October 1870, p. 1.
868:, 25 October 1868, p. 4.
688:Notable Men of Tennessee
654:, 11 October 1856, p. 2.
1101:Tennessee Know Nothings
998:, 22 August 1894, p. 2.
877:William Edward Hardy, "
724:, 8 October 1857, p. 2.
707:, 6 October 1857, p. 2.
568:Knoxville News Sentinel
395:Described by historian
294:Emory and Henry College
213:Emory and Henry College
1026:Result of a Long Spree
1015:, 10 April 1890, p. 1.
964:, 28 March 1876, p. 2.
930:, 21 April 1875, p. 4.
862:An Affray at Knoxville
758:, 28 April 1859, p. 2.
640:, 28 April 1854, p. 3.
286:Rogersville, Tennessee
135:Rogersville, Tennessee
107:Charles McClung McGhee
962:Memphis Public Ledger
896:Sweetwater Enterprise
851:, 21 July 1868, p. 2.
849:Memphis Public Ledger
834:, 20 June 1868, p. 1.
832:Bolivar (TN) Bulletin
767:Oliver Perry Temple,
682:Oliver Perry Temple,
626:, 1972), pp. 417-418.
493:Dewitt Clinton Senter
441:West Hughes Humphreys
945:Memphis Daily Appeal
505:Speaker of the House
473:Knoxville Free Press
284:Fleming was born in
166:Knoxville, Tennessee
152:Knoxville, Tennessee
1106:Tennessee Democrats
979:Knoxville Chronicle
958:Journalistic Change
928:Knoxville Chronicle
741:, 2 May 1857, p. 2.
559:Winfield S. Hancock
465:Radical Republicans
458:George B. McClellan
397:Oliver Perry Temple
298:Kingston, Tennessee
274:Radical Republicans
270:William G. Brownlow
233:John Miller Fleming
1047:Johnson City Comet
699:John M. Fleming, "
563:Knoxville Sentinel
306:Knoxville Register
255:Knoxville Sentinel
242:Knoxville Register
1043:Attempted Suicide
892:Charles M. McGhee
813:Robert McKenzie,
756:Nashville Patriot
739:Nashville Patriot
705:Nashville Patriot
684:Mary Boyce Temple
585:Old Gray Cemetery
573:James Phelan, Jr.
540:Knoxville Tribune
437:Robert H. Hodsden
402:Samuel R. Rodgers
350:Lamar House Hotel
251:Knoxville Tribune
230:
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163:Old Gray Cemetery
132:December 12, 1832
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975:Editorial Change
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828:The Right Stripe
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481:Knoxville Herald
373:Opposition Party
323:Millard Fillmore
194:Anna Howard Boyd
148:
145:October 28, 1900
131:
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117:Personal details
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74:William Heiskell
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1091:Tennessee Whigs
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618:Mary Rothrock,
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533:James D. Porter
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450:Abraham Lincoln
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171:Political party
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521:Horace Greeley
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331:Andrew Johnson
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149:(aged 67)
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33:Member of the
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159:Resting place
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511:Later career
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483:to form the
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346:John Mitchel
343:
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315:Know Nothing
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179:Know Nothing
147:(1900-10-28)
102:Succeeded by
81:
69:Succeeded by
48:
1121:1900 deaths
1116:1832 births
1009:Won't Fight
637:Athens Post
497:Alfred Cate
414:Greeneville
366:John Baxter
96:L.M. Mynatt
92:Preceded by
59:Preceded by
41:Knox County
1060:Categories
941:Prospectus
591:References
477:Free Press
333:and other
280:Early life
219:Occupation
208:Alma mater
185:Democratic
128:1832-12-12
385:John Bell
381:Baltimore
335:Democrats
290:Methodist
237:Tennessee
182:Unionist
82:In office
49:In office
780:Temple,
446:Kentucky
362:Register
354:Register
339:Register
319:Register
272:and the
199:Children
686:(ed.),
552:Tribune
548:Tribune
517:elector
352:over a
249:, the
191:Spouse
154:, U.S.
137:, U.S.
311:Whigs
39:from
175:Whig
142:Died
122:Born
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994:,"
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622:(
202:2
130:)
126:(
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