Richard Taylor Jacob (March 13, 1825 – September 13, 1903) was an American attorney and politician, elected as 17th Lieutenant Governor of

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 Virgini ...

(1863–64). Although a slaveholder, he was loyal to the Union during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, raising the

9th Kentucky Cavalry The 9th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 9th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment was organized at Eminence, Kentucky, mustered in on August 22, 1862, under the comman ...

for its defense. Due to his supporting the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

candidacy of

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

for the presidency in 1864, in addition to other differences, Kentucky Governor

Thomas Bramlette Thomas Elliott Bramlette (January 3, 1817 – January 12, 1875) was the 23rd Governor of Kentucky. He was elected in 1863 and guided the state through the latter part of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction. At the outbreak of t ...

ordered Jacob arrested by the Union commander and expelled from the state during the war, sending him to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. Jacob appealed to President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and was allowed to return to Kentucky.

Background and early life

Richard Taylor Jacob was born in

Oldham County, Kentucky Oldham County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state and commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,607. Its county seat is La Grange. The county is named for Colonel William Oldham. Oldh ...

, to an influential family. His father, John J. Jacob (1770–1852), was a well-known businessman and real estate speculator; his brother, Charles Donald Jacob, eventually served three terms as mayor of

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. ...

; and his sister, Susan, married James Brown Clay, son of statesman

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, ...

. James Clay later was elected as a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from Kentucky. Richard Jacob studied law in 1825 and visited

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. He happened to be in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

when the

Bear Flag Revolt The California Republic ( es, La República de California), or Bear Flag Republic, was an List of historical unrecognized states#Americas, unrecognized breakaway state from Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico, that for 25 days in 1846 ...

broke out. He joined the cavalry forces of General

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. When Fremont was on trial in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

for his actions in California, Jacob appeared as a witness on the general's behalf. At that time, Jacob met Fremont's sister-in-law, Sarah Benton, a daughter of

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

Thomas Hart Benton; the couple married in January 1848. For a few years Jacob farmed in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, his wife's home state. In 1855 Jacob bought a farm called "Woodland" on the Ohio River in

, and moved there with his family. He called the farm 'Clifton' while living there.

Civil War

In 1859 Jacob was elected as a Democrat to Kentucky's

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United ...

. In 1860, Jacob supported

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

for president. But when the

broke out, he remained loyal to the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and worked to prevent Kentucky from seceding and joining the

Confederacy Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

. In 1862, he raised the

, a regiment of 1,244 men. Over the next year, he took part in several skirmishes and battles, including resisting

Morgan's Raid Morgan's Raid was a diversionary incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Union states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11 to July 26, 1863, and is named for the comman ...

in 1863. That year, Jacob was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, as the running mate of Thomas E. Bramlette. The partnership between the two men did not last long. Jacob attacked the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...

, issued in 1863, considering it unfair to those Kentucky slave-holders who remained loyal to the Union as it did not provide compensation for freeing slaves. Adding to Jacob's troubles, his wife Sarah died that year. In 1864 Jacob supported General

's candidacy for the presidency. General

Stephen G. Burbridge Stephen Gano Burbridge (August 19, 1831 – December 2, 1894), also known as "Butcher" Burbridge or the "Butcher of Kentucky", was a controversial Union general during the American Civil War. In June 1864 he was given command over the Commonwealt ...

, the Union commander of the district of Kentucky, had caused much controversy and opposition in the state for his heavy-handed tactics, including execution of suspected spies on flimsy evidence. Trying to ensure a Lincoln win in the state, Burbridge arrested Jacob for his attacks on the Lincoln administration and sent him through the Confederate lines to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. He also arrested Judge Bullitt. Jacob denied that he ever spoke against the Union and appealed to President Lincoln. Apparently, Lincoln believed Jacob, or at least sought to placate Jacob's supporters in Kentucky. The president allowed Jacob to visit Washington, D.C. and gave him a letter securing his release. Jacob returned to his home state. In 1865 he married again, to Laura Wilson.

Later years

Later, Jacob ran for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

(1867) and for an appellate clerkship, but he lost both elections. In 1876 he was elected judge of the Oldham County court, but declined to run for a second term. At about this time, Jacob joined the Republican Party. From 1895 to 1899, he served as park commissioner of Louisville.

Trivia

* Richard Taylor Jacob's father, John Jeremiah Jacob (1770–1852), should not be confused with Richard's distant cousin, also named John J. Jacob (1829–1893), who served as Governor of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

. * In 1996 Jacob's former farm, "Clifton," became the site of a commercial

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North ...

farm.

References

External links