John DeWitt Clinton Atkins | |
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| 23rdCommissioner of Indian Affairs | |
| In office 1885–1888 | |
| President | Grover Cleveland |
| Preceded by | Hiram Price |
| Succeeded by | John H. Oberly |
| Member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromTennessee | |
| In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1883 | |
| Preceded by | David A. Nunn |
| Succeeded by | John M. Taylor |
| Constituency | 8th district |
| In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Robert P. Caldwell |
| Succeeded by | Washington C. Whitthorne |
| Constituency | 7th district |
| In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859 | |
| Preceded by | Emerson Etheridge |
| Succeeded by | Emerson Etheridge |
| Constituency | 9th district |
| Member of theConfederate States Congress fromTennessee | |
| In office February 18, 1862–1865 | |
| Member of theTennessee Senate | |
| In office 1855–1857 | |
| Member of theTennessee House of Representatives | |
| In office 1849–1851 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1825-06-04)June 4, 1825 Manly's Chapel, Tennessee |
| Died | June 2, 1908(1908-06-02) (aged 82) Paris, Tennessee |
| Political party | Democratic |
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| Children | John DeWitt Atkins |
| Alma mater | East Tennessee University |
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John DeWitt Clinton Atkins (June 4, 1825 – June 2, 1908) was an American slave owner,[1] politician and lawyer who served as a member of both theUnited States House of Representatives andConfederate Congress fromTennessee.
Johnathan Atkins was born at Manly's Chapel, Tennessee, inHenry County the son of Johnathan Atkins and Sarah (Manley) Atkins. He attended a private school inParis, Tennessee, graduated fromEast Tennessee University atKnoxville in 1846. John studied law, and was admitted to thebar, but John did not practice, instead of engaging in agricultural pursuits. He owned slaves.[2] John married Elizabeth Bacon Porter on November 23, 1847. After her death in 1887, John married Flora Crawford on June 24, 1890.
Johnathan Atkins was a member of theTennessee House of Representatives from 1849 to 1851. John served in theTennessee Senate from 1855 to 1857. John was elected as aDemocrat to theThirty-fifth Congress byTennessee's 9th congressional district. John served from March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1859,[3] but John was not a successful candidate for re-election to theThirty-sixth Congress.
During theCivil War, Johnathan Atkins served aslieutenant colonel of the Fifth Tennessee Regiment in theConfederate Army in 1861. John was a delegate to theConfederate Provisional Congress in November 1861. John then was elected to theFirst Confederate Congress and was reelected in 1863 to theSecond Confederate Congress.[4] During the last days of the war in February 1865 as the South neared defeat, Atkins urged the Confederate government to purchase "one hundred thousand slaves" and give them to each Confederate soldier to increase their strength on the battlefield.[5]
Following the war, J. D. Atkins was elected as aDemocrat to theForty-third and the four succeeding Congresses byTennessee's 7th congressional district, and then by the8th congressional district afterreapportionment. John served from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1883.[6] The Tennessee Historical Commission describes him as key to defeatingReconstruction, saying he was "instrumental in obtaining removal of Federal troops from the South."[7]
During theForty-fifth andForty-sixth Congresses, John was the chairman of theUnited States House Committee on Appropriations. John was not a candidate for renomination in 1882.
Johnathan Atkins again engaged in agricultural pursuits near Paris, Tennessee in Henry County. John was appointedUnited States Commissioner of Indian Affairs by PresidentCleveland on March 21, 1885, and John served until June 13, 1888, when John resigned. During his tenure as commissioner, Johnathan Atkins forbade the use of Native languages in reservation schools, stating in 1887 that "instruction of the Indians in the vernacular is not only of no use to them but it is detrimental to the cause of their education and civilization".[8] He was an unsuccessful Democratic nomination forUnited States Senator in 1888. John returned to agricultural pursuits; retired from active pursuits in 1898, and moved to Paris, Tennessee.
Johnathan Atkins lived there in retirement until his death on June 2, 1908 (age 82 years, 364 days). John isinterred at City Cemetery in Paris, Tennessee.[9] A family friend who developed Atlanta'sAtkins Park neighborhood named it in honor of the colonel.[10]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 9th congressional district 1857-1859 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 7th congressional district 1873-1875 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 8th congressional district 1875-1883 | Succeeded by |
| Confederate States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by none | Representative to the Provisional Confederate Congress from Tennessee 1861 | Succeeded by none |
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