John Tipton (August 14, 1786 – April 5, 1839) was from Tennessee and became a farmer in Indiana; an officer in the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, and veteran officer of the War of 1812, in which he reached the rank of Brigadier General; and politician. He was elected to the Indiana General Assembly in 1819, and in 1831 as

US 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 power ...

from the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, serving until 1838. He was appointed as US Indian Agent and was selected to lead the militia in removing Menominee's band of Potawatomie in 1838; they were relocated to Kansas,

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

Biography

Tipton, a son of Joshua and Janet Shields Tipton, was born in what is now Sevier County, Tennessee. When Tipton was only 6 years old his father was killed by Native Americans. His great uncle, also named John Tipton, was a prominent man in the area. When Tipton was an infant, his uncle's house was besieged by supporters of an effort to create the 14th state in Northeastern Tennessee called the

State of Franklin The State of Franklin (also the Free Republic of Franklin or the State of Frankland)Landrum, refers to the proposed state as "the proposed republic of Franklin; while Wheeler has it as ''Frankland''." In ''That's Not in My American History Boo ...

. At the age of 17, Tipton moved to Harrison County,

. In 1806 he married his 1st cousin Martha Shields, a daughter of John Shields of Lewis and Clark fame. He became a farmer. Fighting various Native American tribes in the area, he commanded a militia unit of the

Yellow Jackets Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of thes ...

in the Battle of Tippecanoe campaign in 1811, and on the 6th of June 1813, he fought at the

Battle of Stoney Creek The Battle of Stoney Creek was a British victory over an American force fought on 6 June 1813, during the War of 1812 near present-day Stoney Creek, Ontario. British units made a night attack on the American encampment, and due in large part t ...

, Ontario, Canada. He served as Major in command of two companies of Indiana Rangers at Fort Vallonia during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

with Great Britain. When peace was declared, Tipton was promoted to Brigadier-General. Tipton's marriage eventually fell apart and he was divorced in 1816.''Indian Treaty of 1826 - Tipton's Quest,'' by Carl Leiter He entered politics, being elected as a member of the Indiana State House of Representatives and serving two terms, from 1819 to 1823. During this time, he founded the town of

Columbus, Indiana Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 50,474 at the 2020 census. The relatively small city has provided a unique place for noted Modern architecture and public art, commissio ...

originally known as Tiptonia. He also participated in commissions to establish a new state capital for Indiana and to set the boundaries between Indiana and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

. In 1823, he was appointed as the United States Indian agent for the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

and

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

tribes. In 1825, he married again, this time to Matilda Spencer, the daughter of the late Captain Spier Spencer. Her father died at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. In 1831, Tipton was elected by the state legislature to a seat in 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 po ...

from Indiana to fill the unexpired term of James Noble who had died. He was reelected to a full term in 1832. A member of the

United States Democratic Party The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in every state behind war hero And ...

, Tipton was a strong supporter of

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 ...

. He served as chairman of the committees on roads and canals and Native American affairs from 1837 to 1839. In 1838, at the behest of Governor David Wallace, Tipton was selected as captain of the militia to organize the forced removal of 859

from the vicinity of

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

, to which they had agreed by treaty. He started the group on the two-month-long " Trail of Death" to

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

. More than 40 of the natives died, most of them children.

Death and legacy

Tipton declined to run for reelection due to poor health, and his term expired a month before his death. He died in

Logansport, Indiana Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,366 at the 2020 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northwest of Kokomo. H ...

by heart failure. He is interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Logansport, Indiana. The towns of

Tipton, Indiana Tipton is a city in and the county seat of Tipton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,106 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named after John Tipton, a politician. Histor ...

, and Iowa, and Tipton County, Indiana are named after him.

References

External links

John Tipton Collection
manuscript collection finding aid, Indiana State Library.
John Tipton Collection
digital collection of ISL manuscripts at Indiana Memory.
John Tipton Collection
Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tipton, John 1786 births 1839 deaths People from Sevier County, Tennessee Indiana Democratic-Republicans Jacksonian United States senators from Indiana Democratic Party United States senators from Indiana Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives United States Indian agents People from Logansport, Indiana Columbus, Indiana People from Indiana in the War of 1812 Burials in Indiana