John Henderson | |
|---|---|
 Hendersonc. 1861 | |
| United States Senator fromMissouri | |
| In office January 17, 1862 – March 3, 1869 | |
| Preceded by | Trusten Polk |
| Succeeded by | Carl Schurz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Brooks Henderson (1826-11-16)November 16, 1826 nearDanville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | April 12, 1913(1913-04-12) (aged 86) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Party | Democratic(before 1862) Union(1862–63) Emancipation(1863) Radical Union(after 1863) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingJohn |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Missouri Militia |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
John Brooks Henderson (November 16, 1826 – April 12, 1913) was an American attorney and politician who representedMissouri in theUnited States Senate from 1862 to 1869.
Henderson is most noteworthy for co-authoring theThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolishedslavery except as punishment for crime. After leaving the Senate, Henderson served as the firstspecial prosecutor in United States history, investigating theWhiskey Ring, until he was fired by PresidentUlysses S. Grant.
Born nearDanville, Virginia, he moved with his parents toLincoln County, Missouri, studied on his own while a farm hand, taught school, wasadmitted to the bar in 1844, and practiced.
Henderson was a member of theMissouri House of Representatives in 1848-1850 and 1856–1858, and was active inDemocratic politics. He was commissioned abrigadier general in theMissouri State Militia in 1861, commanding federal forces in northeast Missouri.
On January 17, 1862, Henderson was appointed to the U.S. Senate as aUnionist to fill the vacancy caused by the expulsion ofTrusten Polk. He won the January 1863 special election to complete Polk's term and was re-elected later that year, serving until 1869.[1] Henderson changed parties several times during this period as the party system in Missouri underwent apolitical realignment. A conservative unionist, he was nominated by the Emancipation Party in the January 1863 special election, representing the moderate wing of the party that favoredgradual emancipation.[2][3] He campaigned for the Conservative candidates in the 1863 Missouri judicial elections, but afterwards formed an alliance with the Radicals in theMissouri General Assembly and was re-elected as aRadical Unionist in November 1863.[4]
As a United States Senator representing aslave state, Henderson co-authored and co-sponsored theThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution permanently prohibiting slavery in the United States. Henderson's original proposal, made January 11, 1864, was submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and on February 10, 1864, it presented the Senate with a proposal combining the drafts of congressmenJames Mitchell Ashley (Republican, Ohio),James Falconer Wilson, (Republican, Iowa),Charles Sumner (Republican, Massachusetts), and Henderson.[5]
On January 31, 1865, the 13th Amendment was approved by the U.S. Congress, and on February 1, 1865, it was signed by PresidentAbraham Lincoln. On April 14, 1865, Lincoln wasassassinated before the amendment was ratified by theState of Georgia on December 6, 1865.
While in the Senate, Henderson was chairman of the committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expense (Thirty-ninth Congress) and a member of the Committee on Indian Affairs (Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Congresses).
During PresidentAndrew Johnson'simpeachment trial, Henderson broke party ranks, along with nine other Republican senators and voted for acquittal. Among them, seven Republican senators were disturbed by how the proceedings had been manipulated in order to give a one-sided presentation of the evidence. In addition to Henderson, the other senators expressing those concerns were SenatorsWilliam Pitt Fessenden,Joseph S. Fowler,James W. Grimes,Lyman Trumbull,Peter G. Van Winkle,[citation needed] andEdmund G. Ross of Kansas, who provided the decisive vote,[6] defied their party and public opinion and voted against conviction.[7] The other three Republican senators to vote against convicting Johnson wereJames Dixon,James Rood Doolittle,Daniel Sheldon Norton[8] After the trial, CongressmanBenjamin Butler conducted hearings on the widespread reports that Republican senators had been bribed to vote for Johnson's acquittal. In Butler's hearings, and in subsequent inquiries, there was increasing evidence that some acquittal votes were acquired by promises of patronage jobs and cash cards.[7]
Henderson was not a candidate for reelection to the Senate in 1868 and left the U.S. Senate on March 3, 1869.
Henderson was an unsuccessful candidate forGovernor of Missouri and later U.S. Senator. In 1875, he was appointed byUlysses Grant as a specialUnited States attorney for prosecution of theWhiskey Ring atSt. Louis. After attempting to stifle Henderson's investigation of the president's personal secretary, Grant fired Henderson on the basis that Henderson's statements to a grand jury regarding Grant were impertinent.[9] Following criticism, Grant appointed a new special prosecutor,James Broadhead, to continue the investigation. In 1877, Henderson was appointed a commissioner totreat with hostile tribes of Indians.
Henderson returned toWashington, D.C. in the late 1880s. He and his wife,Mary Foote Henderson, lived inHenderson Castle until his death in 1913. Interment was inGreen-Wood Cemetery,Brooklyn, New York.
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Missouri 1862–1869 Served alongside:Robert Wilson,B. Gratz Brown,Charles D. Drake | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Indian Affairs Committee 1867–1869 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Missouri 1872 | Succeeded by William Gentry |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Most Senior Living U.S. Senator Sitting or Former 1901–1913 | Succeeded by |
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Chairs of theUnited States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs | ||
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| Full Committee (1820–1947) | | |
| Select Committee (1977–1993) | ||
| Full Committee (1993–) | ||
| International | |
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