John McKinley (May 1, 1780 – July 19, 1852) was a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

and an

associate justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Early life

McKinley was born in Culpeper County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, on May 1, 1780, to Andrew McKinley and Mary (Logan) McKinley (sister of

Benjamin Logan Benjamin Logan (May 1, 1743 – December 11, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia, then Shelby County, Kentucky. As colonel of the Kentucky County, Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War, he was s ...

). His family moved to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

in 1783. There, he read law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1800, practicing in Frankfort and in

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

. In 1818, he moved to

. He established legal practice in Huntsville, and also actively engaged in land speculation.

Political career

McKinley was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in August 1820. the next year he moved his family from Huntsville to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, and so was ineligible for re-election.Brown 2012, p. 51. When failing health forced

John Williams Walker John Williams Walker (August 12, 1783April 23, 1823) was an American politician, who served as the Democratic-Republican United States senator from the state of Alabama, the first senator elected by that state. Life and career Walker was born Aug ...

to resign from the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1822, Mckinley was the favored candidate in the

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

to fill the vacancy, but lost to William Kelly by a one-vote margin. November 27, 1826, he was elected as a Jacksonian to finish the unexpired term of Senator Henry H. Chambers, who died in office. When he sought re-election in 1830, he lost to Gabriel Moore. During the 1830s, McKinley was twice elected to the Alabama House, in 1831 and 1836. In between he served one term in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, during the 1833–35 23rd Congress. There he was a champion of President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

's political agenda.Brown 2012, p. 11. He also was a

Presidential Elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

in the 1836 presidential election, casting his vote for

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

. McKinley was again elected to the U.S. Senate in 1836, this time easily defeating Gabriel Moore. He did not remain in office long however, as he resigned in April 1837, to take a seat on the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

Supreme Court service

The number of seats on the Supreme Court was expanded from seven to nine in March 1837, as a result of the Eighth and Ninth Circuits Act. This allowed President Jackson the opportunity to appoint two new

associate justices Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

, which he did on March 3, 1837, his last full day in office. The newly seated Senate of the 25th Congress confirmed both nominees; but one, William Smith, subsequently declined to serve. President Martin Van Buren offered McKinley a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

to the vacant seat on April 22, 1837, and later formally nominated him to for it on September 18, 1837. McKinley was confirmed by the

on September 25, 1837, by a voice vote. McKinley was assigned to the ninth circuit, which encompassed the states of: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. During his 14 years on the Court, McKinley wrote 22 opinions, several of which were dissenting opinions in the interest of preserving

States' rights In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the ...

. Noteworthy opinions include: ''Bank of Augusta v. Earle (1839)''; '' Groves v. Slaughter'' (1841); '' Pollard v. Hagan'' (1845) and '' Passenger Cases'' (1849).

Personal life

McKinley was married twice. In 1814, he married Juliana Bryan (d. 1822). They had three children: Elizabeth, Andrew and Mary. In 1824, he married Elizabeth Armistead (d. 1891). They had no children. In 1821, McKinley was appointed to serve on the original board of trustees for the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

and helped plan the campus design and curriculum. He was also a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church of Florence, Alabama, where he was elected as an elder in 1826. McKinley owned twelve slaves at the time of the 1850 census. McKinley moved his family to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

soon after his appointment to the Supreme Court. He later died there on July 19, 1852, at the age of 72, and is buried at

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

Legacy and honors

The community of McKinley, Alabama is named in his honor. The

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...

was named in his honor.

References

External links

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John McKinley
Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas. , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McKinley, John 1780 births 1852 deaths People from Culpeper County, Virginia American Protestants Alabama Democratic-Republicans Jacksonian United States senators from Alabama Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Democratic Party United States senators from Alabama Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States United States federal judges appointed by Martin Van Buren United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American judges 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery American slave owners United States senators who owned slaves