Richard Hickman Menefee (December 4, 1809 – February 21, 1841) was a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
. Due to his oratory skill, he was dubbed "the young
of the West." He was presumed the successor to
Henry Clay
Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...
as leader of the
Whig Party until his death at age thirty-one.
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
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...
and studied law. In 1831, he was appointed
Commonwealth's Attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
for Kentucky's eleventh district and was elected to the
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...
the following year.
In 1836, Menefee was elected to the House of Representatives. His best known speech in that body urged restraint in the
''Caroline'' affair with the British. His reputation, and that of fellow Kentuckian
John J. Crittenden
John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 – July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as Uni ...
, were tarnished due to their involvement in a duel between Representatives
William J. Graves and
Jonathan Cilley, 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
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
, but died five days later before he could take office.
Menifee County, Kentucky
Menifee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,113, making it the fifth-least populous county in Kentucky. Its county seat is Frenchburg. The county is named for Richard Hickman ...
, despite the spelling discrepancy, is named in his honor.
Early life
Richard Hickman Menefee was born on December 4, 1809, in
Owingsville, Kentucky
Owingsville is a home rule-class city in Bath County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,530 during the year 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat and is located roughly at the county's center, at the junction of US 60 an ...
.
[''National Cyclopedia of American Biography'', p. 420.] He was the third of five sons born to Richard and Mary (Longsdale) Menefee.
[Mathias, p. 624.] His father was an Irish
potter
A potter is someone who makes pottery.
Potter may also refer to:
Places United States
*Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US
*Potter, Arkansas
*Potter, Nebraska
*Potters, New Jerse ...
who immigrated to Kentucky from
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
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
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout Kentucky, the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. T ...
.
It was while the elder Richard Menefee was in
Frankfort for a session of the General Assembly that his son Richard was born. When asked to name the child at his
baptism
Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...
, his mother christened him Henry Clay Menefee, after Kentucky statesman
Henry Clay
Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...
. When his father returned from his legislative duties, he changed the child's name to Richard Hickman Menefee in honor of his Senate colleague,
Richard Hickman
Richard Hickman (1757–1832) was the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, serving in that capacity from 1812 to 1816 under Isaac Shelby during Shelby's second term as governor.
Hickman was born in Virginia in 1757 to Maj. James Hickman and H ...
.
Menefee's father died in 1815.
Four years later, his mother married Colonel George Lansdown, proprietor of a spa in
Bath County.
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
Henry S. Lane
Henry Smith Lane (February 24, 1811 – June 19, 1881) was a United States representative, Senator, and the 13th Governor of Indiana; he was by design the shortest-serving governor of Indiana, having made plans to resign the office should his ...
and
John Jameson. Two years later, family troubles forced him to withdraw from school and help support the family.
He began work at a
tavern
A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...
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
Mount Sterling, Kentucky
Mount Sterling, often written as Mt. Sterling, is a home rule-class city in Montgomery County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,558 as of the 2020 census, up from 6,895 in 2010. It is the county seat of Montgomery County and the pr ...
, and paid his way through school.
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
Horace Holley and graduated with his class.
Following his graduation, he
read law
Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...
with Judge James Trimble.
He returned to Mount Sterling, where he was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
** Chocolate bar
* Protein bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...
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
George W. Johnson, who would later serve as governor of Kentucky's
provisional Confederate government during the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.
On August 14, 1832, Menefee married Sarah Bell Jouett, daughter of famed Kentucky painter
Matthew Harris Jouett
Matthew Harris Jouett (Mercer County, Kentucky, 22 April 1788 – Lexington, Kentucky, 10 August 1827) was a noted American portrait painter, famous for painting portraits including Thomas Jefferson, George Rogers Clark and Lafayette.
Personal ...
. The couple had three children: Alexander (who died as an infant), Richard, and Mary.
Political career
On November 15, 1831,
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Thomas Metcalfe 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
James Turner Morehead called for one thousand mounted soldiers for service in the
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...
. A
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
was raised in
Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to:
Australia
* The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania
United Kingdom
* The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery
United States
* Montgomery County, Alabama
* Montg ...
, and they chose Menefee as their
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, 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
Whig to represent Montgomery County in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Menefee was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee. The first bill he offered to the House authorized the construction of the first
turnpike 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
James Clark 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
Thomas F. Marshall called Menefee's speech on this occasion "the master effort of his mind that winter."
In April 1837, Menefee announced that he would challenge
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election.
There may or may not be ...
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
Richard French 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
Twenty-fifth Congress
The 25th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 183 ...
. ''Youth's History of Kentucky'', an 1898 school textbook, records that some referred to Menefee as "the young
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
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Martin van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...
, including a bill to cease distributing the federal budget surplus to the states and a bill authorizing the printing of an additional $10 million (~$ in ) in currency. Both measures passed over his objections.

In 1837, rebels seeking a more democratic Canada fled to
Navy Island
Navy Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Niagara River in the province of Ontario, managed by Parks Canada as a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Site of Canada. It is located about 4.5 kilometres (2+3⁄4 miles) ups ...
in the
Niagara River
The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...
. The rebels, led by
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie (March12, 1795 August28, 1861) was a Scottish-born Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify the establishment of Upper Canada. He represe ...
, found sympathy with Americans across the river in New York. These Americans carried supplies to the rebels aboard the steamship ''Caroline''. In retaliation, a group of British and Canadian loyalists crossed the river, loosed the ''Caroline'' and set her on fire, then put her in the river's current, sending her over
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...
. The ''Caroline'' 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.
On February 1, 1838, a dispute arose surrounding the election of
Seargent Smith Prentiss
Seargent Smith Prentiss (September 30, 1808July 1, 1850) was an American attorney and politician. He served as a state representative in Mississippi and then was elected in 1838 as US representative from the state in the Twenty-fifth United St ...
and
Thomas J. Word – both of
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
– to the House of Representatives. Menefee contested the claims of Virginia's
James M. Mason and
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
's
Hugh S. Legare that the Mississippians had not been properly elected. Both were eventually allowed to retain their seats.
In 1838, Menefee and
John J. Crittenden
John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 – July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as Uni ...
served as seconds for fellow Kentucky representative
William J. Graves in a duel in which Graves killed
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
representative
Jonathan Cilley.
[Mathias, p. 625.] The House
censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a sp ...
d 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, 1838. Menefee voluntarily retired from public life after serving only a single term in the House.
Later life and death
Menefee returned to Kentucky, settling in
Lexington, where he resumed his law practice.
On a return trip to Owingsville, he successfully defended a man accused of murder in a dispute over rights to an
ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...
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
enefeewas ever engaged."
The greatest, according to Townsend, was the 1840 case involving the
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
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, future governor
James F. Robinson, 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
Robert C. Wickliffe
Robert Charles Wickliffe (January 6, 1819 – April 18, 1895) was Lieutenant Governor and the List of Governors of Louisiana, 15th Governor of Louisiana from 1856 to 1860.
Early life and education
He was born in Bardstown, Kentucky at Wicklan ...
. The case lasted six days, and the decision in the case went against Menefee and Robinson.
Menefee's health was already beginning to fail during the trial with Clay, and he last appeared in court in September 1840.
In 1841,
Cassius M. Clay 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
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
, but Townsend claims the true cause of death was "consumption of the
bowels
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. T ...
." He was interred in a private cemetery in
Fayette County.
[Congressional Biography.] On October 28, 1893, he was re-interred in
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 ...
in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
.
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.
[Townsend, p. 275.] Afterward, the Society asked Marshall for the text of the speech, and it was published as a pamphlet.
[Townsend, p. 301] Kentucky historian Lewis Collins opined that, had he lived, Menefee would have succeeded Henry Clay as the leader of the Whig Party.
Menifee County, Kentucky
Menifee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,113, making it the fifth-least populous county in Kentucky. Its county seat is Frenchburg. The county is named for Richard Hickman ...
, is named in Menefee's honor, despite the unintentional misspelling of the name.
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
Notes
A transcript of this speech can be found in Townsend's biography of Menefee on pages 113–128.
External links
*
Richard Menefee at The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menefee, Richard Hickman
1809 births
1841 deaths
Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery
Kentucky lawyers
Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives
People from Owingsville, Kentucky
Transylvania University alumni
Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky
American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly
Kentucky commonwealth's attorneys