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Graves over the incident, and the reputations of both
Crittenden and Menefee were tarnished by their involvement. Shortly thereafter, the House passed anti-dueling legislation. Menefee's longest speech in the House was with regard to this law, and was delivered in three parts on April 23, 28, and 30,
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of a man named James Rogers. In the will, Rogers expressed that he had already provided assets from his estate amounting to five thousand dollars to the children of his first marriage and that upon his death, his estate was to be divided among his second wife and her children. A team of
Menefee,
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The
Transylvania Law Society asked Menefee's colleague, Thomas F. Marshall, to deliver a speech on Menefee's life and character at Marshall's convenience. Marshall spent seven weeks preparing the eulogy. Afterward, the Society asked Marshall for the text of the speech, and it was published as a
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affair provoked anger and anti-British sentiment in the United States. It was upon this subject that
Menefee made his most notable speech in the House. He urged restraint in responding to the British and proclaimed that he saw no great principles involved in the affair.
634:, and Madison C. Johnson represented the five children from the first marriage, who filed suit to set aside the will on the grounds that their father had suffered a stroke and was not of sound mind when constructing the will. They argued opposite Henry Clay and
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appointed
Menefee to succeed his law tutor, James Trimble, as Commonwealth's Attorney for the 11th district. He held this office until 1836, when he resigned to seek election to the Kentucky House of Representatives. In the midst of the campaign, Governor
509:, including a bill to cease distributing the federal budget surplus to the states and a bill authorizing the printing of an additional $ 10 million (~$ 313 million in 2023) in currency. Both measures passed over his objections.
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in
Owingsville and engaged in farm work during the summer months. He continued his studies as time allowed and became a teacher at age fifteen. A short time later, he left home due to a dispute with his stepfather. He relocated to
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Menefee received a meager education in his early life. A dispute with his stepfather caused him to leave home in his mid-teens. He worked as a teacher to support himself and pay to finish his education. He graduated from
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in the 1790s and became one of the founders of the city of
Owingsville. Despite a limited education, the elder Richard Menefee was elected to multiple terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives and one term in the
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At age eighteen, Menefee entered
Transylvania University in the junior class. Though the college's rules forbade conveying degrees upon underage candidates, Menefee was granted an exception by President
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bed. His opponent in the case was his old colleague from the House, Thomas F. Marshall. Menefee's biographer, John
Townsend, called the case "the second greatest law case in which was ever engaged."
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of the West" due to his considerable oratory skill. He was appointed to the
Committee on Expenditures of the Public Buildings and the Committee on Patents. He opposed several measures favored by
458:, but the requisite thousand men reached Governor Morehead before Menefee's company; consequently, Menefee's men were turned away. Menefee returned to the campaign trail, and he was elected as a
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in 1830 and opened a law practice in 1831. In October 1831, he enrolled at Transylvania University law school and on March 3, 1832, earned a law degree. Notable in Menefee's graduating class was
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370:. Until the age of twelve, Menefee was educated by his mother. He then enrolled at Walker Bourne's preparatory school in Bath County, where he was a classmate of future congressmen
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nominated Menefee to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the resignation of John J. Crittenden. He was elected, but died five days later. He was commonly reported to have died of
1038:
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311:, in which the latter was mortally wounded. He did not stand for re-election following his term in office and returned to his legal practice. In 1841, he was elected to the
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on February 16, 1832. His most notable action in the House was arguing against the repeal of an 1833 law that prohibited the importation of slaves. Fellow representative
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in Bath County and gave control of the turnpike to the Owingsville and Big Sandy Road Company; this bill passed and was signed into law by Governor
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359:. When his father returned from his legislative duties, he changed the child's name to Richard Hickman Menefee in honor of his Senate colleague,
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pamphlet. Kentucky historian Lewis Collins opined that, had he lived, Menefee would have succeeded Henry Clay as the leader of the Whig Party.
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Menefee was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee. The first bill he offered to the House authorized the construction of the first
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for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Menefee defeated French by a margin of 234 votes and was the youngest member of the
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Menefee's health was already beginning to fail during the trial with Clay, and he last appeared in court in September 1840. In 1841,
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In 1836, Menefee was elected to the House of Representatives. His best known speech in that body urged restraint in the
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Menefee's father died in 1815. Four years later, his mother married Colonel George Lansdown, proprietor of a spa in
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that the Mississippians had not been properly elected. Both were eventually allowed to retain their seats.
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for a session of the General Assembly that his son Richard was born. When asked to name the child at his
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1838. Menefee voluntarily retired from public life after serving only a single term in the House.
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A transcript of this speech can be found in Townsend's biography of Menefee on pages 113–128.
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1191:(1858). "An Address on the Life and Character of Richard H. Menefee". In W. L. Barre (ed.).
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On August 14, 1832, Menefee married Sarah Bell Jouett, daughter of famed Kentucky painter
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called Menefee's speech on this occasion "the master effort of his mind that winter."
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with Judge James Trimble. He returned to Mount Sterling, where he was admitted to the
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Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky
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570:– to the House of Representatives. Menefee contested the claims of Virginia's
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and set her on fire, then put her in the river's current, sending her over
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to represent Montgomery County in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
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The greatest, according to Townsend, was the 1840 case involving the
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On February 1, 1838, a dispute arose surrounding the election of
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with the British. His reputation, and that of fellow Kentuckian
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American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law
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called for one thousand mounted soldiers for service in the
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and graduated with his class. Following his graduation, he
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In 1837, rebels seeking a more democratic Canada fled to
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In April 1837, Menefee announced that he would challenge
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Richard Hickman Menefee was born on December 4, 1809, in
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Townsend, John Wilson; Dorothy Edwards Townsend (1913).
315:, but died five days later before he could take office.
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for Kentucky's eleventh district and was elected to the
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served as seconds for fellow Kentucky representative
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Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
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407:, who would later serve as governor of Kentucky's
1070:Mathias, Frank L. (1992). Kleber, John E. (ed.).
1317:Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives
1194:Speeches and writings of Hon. Thomas F. Marshall
265:of the West." He was presumed the successor to
1099:The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography
1047:Jones, Howard; Donald Allen Rakestraw (1997).
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347:It was while the elder Richard Menefee was in
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657:. On October 28, 1893, he was re-interred in
253:(December 4, 1809 – February 21, 1841) was a
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1262:U.S. House of Representatives
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653:." He was interred in a private cemetery in
281:and studied law. In 1831, he was appointed
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1236:Richard Menefee at The Political Graveyard
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614:Menefee returned to Kentucky, settling in
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718:National Cyclopedia of American Biography
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58:U.S. House of Representatives
1137:Kentucky in American Letters, 1784–1912
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1268:Kentucky's 11th congressional district
1121:. Courier Journal Job Printing Company
81:March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839
1102:. J. T. White. 1899. pp. 420–421
7:
1082:: The University Press of Kentucky.
387:, and paid his way through school.
273:until his death at age thirty-one.
1197:. Applegate and Company. pp.
454:, and they chose Menefee as their
409:provisional Confederate government
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1342:19th-century American legislators
1337:19th-century Kentucky politicians
1322:People from Owingsville, Kentucky
593:in a duel in which Graves killed
287:Kentucky House of Representatives
335:who immigrated to Kentucky from
236:
1034:"Richard Menefee (id: M000638)"
517:The Destruction of the Caroline
186:
27:American politician (1809–1841)
1327:Transylvania University alumni
1273:1837–1839 (obsolete district)
1162:Townsend, John Wilson (1907).
1:
1352:19th-century American lawyers
1307:Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery
1260:Member of the
1245:U.S. House of Representatives
1055:. Rowman & Littlefield.
1051:Prologue to Manifest Destiny
953:Kentucky in American Letters
1118:Youth's History of Kentucky
496:Youth's History of Kentucky
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1072:The Kentucky Encyclopedia
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1189:Marshall, Thomas Francis
1032:United States Congress.
994:Congressional Biography.
671:Menifee County, Kentucky
385:Mount Sterling, Kentucky
317:Menifee County, Kentucky
1165:Richard Hickman Menefee
560:Seargent Smith Prentiss
283:Commonwealth's Attorney
279:Transylvania University
251:Richard Hickman Menefee
211:Transylvania University
973:Townsend, pp. 240–241.
924:Townsend, pp. 132–133.
879:Townsend, pp. 88, 110.
536:William Lyon Mackenzie
523:
430:On November 15, 1831,
220:Tavern keeper, teacher
1115:Smith, Z. F. (1898).
1074:. Associate editors:
906:Mathias, pp. 624–625.
852:Townsend, pp. 79, 82.
771:Townsend, pp. 39, 43.
585:In 1838, Menefee and
534:. The rebels, led by
515:
492:Twenty-fifth Congress
440:James Turner Morehead
420:Matthew Harris Jouett
329:Owingsville, Kentucky
125:Owingsville, Kentucky
825:Townsend, pp. 62–63.
762:Townsend, pp. 25–26.
753:Townsend, pp. 16–17.
663:Louisville, Kentucky
610:Later life and death
289:the following year.
157:Louisville, Kentucky
1140:. The Torch Press.
1080:Lexington, Kentucky
636:Robert C. Wickliffe
444:Second Seminole War
255:U.S. Representative
142:Frankfort, Kentucky
1168:. Neale Publishing
659:Cave Hill Cemetery
587:John J. Crittenden
524:
475:Thomas F. Marshall
301:John J. Crittenden
153:Cave Hill Cemetery
18:Richard H. Menefee
1285:
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1276:Succeeded by
1015:Townsend, p. 275.
1003:Townsend, p. 274.
982:Townsend, p. 266.
964:Townsend, p. 152.
897:Jones, pp. 24–31.
888:Townsend, p. 112.
632:James F. Robinson
591:William J. Graves
521:George Tattersall
452:Montgomery County
405:George W. Johnson
305:William J. Graves
269:as leader of the
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179:Sarah Bell Jouett
135:February 21, 1841
16:(Redirected from
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1312:Kentucky lawyers
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630:future governor
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426:Political career
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114:Personal details
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1170:. Retrieved
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1104:. Retrieved
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960:
952:
951:Townsend in
947:
920:
915:Jones, p. 34
911:
902:
893:
884:
875:
866:
857:
848:
839:
830:
821:
812:
803:
794:
785:
776:
767:
758:
749:
717:
667:
647:tuberculosis
640:
624:
613:
601:. The House
584:
557:
551:
543:
539:
525:
516:
495:
479:
464:
429:
417:
389:
376:John Jameson
365:
346:
326:
294:
291:
275:
250:
249:
137:(1841-02-21)
99:Succeeded by
76:
29:
1302:1841 deaths
1297:1809 births
568:Mississippi
528:Navy Island
471:James Clark
411:during the
368:Bath County
313:U.S. Senate
87:Preceded by
1291:Categories
677:References
566:– both of
357:Henry Clay
323:Early life
271:Whig Party
267:Henry Clay
225:Profession
217:Occupation
206:Alma mater
955:, p. 173.
720:, p. 420.
616:Lexington
504:President
482:incumbent
413:Civil War
349:Frankfort
233:Signature
77:In office
603:censured
552:Caroline
544:Caroline
540:Caroline
485:Democrat
467:turnpike
432:Governor
397:read law
337:Virginia
295:Caroline
259:Kentucky
197:Children
70:district
64:Kentucky
530:in the
456:captain
448:company
353:baptism
191:
183:
1265:from
1144:
1086:
1059:
651:bowels
550:. The
380:tavern
333:potter
297:affair
228:Lawyer
174:Spouse
159:, U.S.
144:, U.S.
127:, U.S.
1207:Notes
1201:–231.
595:Maine
257:from
185:(
181:
62:from
1174:2008
1155:2008
1142:ISBN
1127:2008
1108:2008
1084:ISBN
1057:ISBN
627:will
574:and
562:and
460:Whig
446:. A
374:and
307:and
168:Whig
132:Died
119:Born
68:11th
1229:at
1199:211
661:in
620:ore
578:'s
519:by
401:bar
66:'s
1293::
1036:.
1008:^
987:^
929:^
725:^
684:^
665:.
494:.
415:.
363:.
344:.
187:m.
1176:.
1157:.
1129:.
1110:.
1092:.
1065:.
1042:.
200:3
20:)
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