Archibald Roane | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Roane by C.J. Fox | |
| 2nd Governor of Tennessee | |
| In office September 23, 1801 – September 23, 1803 | |
| Preceded by | John Sevier |
| Succeeded by | John Sevier |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1759 (1759) or 1760 (1760) |
| Died | (aged about 59) Knox County, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Resting place | Pleasant Forest Cemetery,Farragut, Tennessee |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Ann Campbell |
| Relations | Spencer Roane (cousin) John Roane (nephew) |
| Profession | Attorney |
Archibald Roane (1759/60 – January 18, 1819) was the secondGovernor of Tennessee, serving from 1801 to 1803. He won the office after the state's first governor,John Sevier, was prevented by constitutional restrictions from seeking a fourth consecutive term. He quickly became caught up in the growing rivalry between Sevier andAndrew Jackson, and was soundly defeated by Sevier after just one term. Roane served as an attorney general in theSouthwest Territory in the early 1790s, and later served as a judge on the state's Superior Court of Law and Equity (1796–1801) and the Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals (1815–1819).
Roane was born in 1759 or 1760[1] inDerry Township (then a part ofLancaster County) in theProvince of Pennsylvania.[2] He was the son of Andrew and Margaret Walker Roane. Andrew Roane, who was born inNorthern Ireland, was one of four sons of Archibald Gilbert Roane, aScotsman who had been awarded land in Ireland in return for his British military service. All of the sons of Archibald Gilbert Roane emigrated to America. After Andrew and Margaret Roane both died when young Archibald Roane was about eight years old, he was raised by an uncle, John Roane, aPresbyterian minister, who provided him with a good education.[2]
During theRevolutionary War, Archibald Roane served in theContinental Army as a member of the Lancaster County Militia (5th Company, 9th Battalion, Pennsylvania Volunteers).[2][3][4] He was among the troops who took part inWashington's crossing of the Delaware River and the subsequentBattle of Trenton in December 1776,[5] and was present at the surrender of GeneralCornwallis atYorktown in 1781.[2][4]
In the 1780s he settled for a time in vicinity ofLexington,Rockbridge County, Virginia, where he studied and later taught at Liberty Hall Academy, a predecessor institution toWashington and Lee University. In Virginia, he married Ann (or Anne) Campbell, whom he had met there, in 1788.[5][2][4]
Shortly after his marriage in 1788, Roane moved toJonesborough, Tennessee, then still a part ofNorth Carolina, where he was admitted to the bar and began thepractice of law.[2][3]
In 1790, when theSouthwest Territory was formed, territorial governorWilliam Blount appointed Roane to the position of Attorney and Solicitor forGreene County and later Territorial Attorney General for the Washington District.[2][3] In 1796, he representedJefferson County at the stateconstitutional convention. This convention wrote the originalTennessee Constitution, which took effect that same year when Tennessee became aU.S. state. Later in 1796, he became one of the threejudges of the Superior Court of Law and Equity, the highest court established under the new state constitution.[2][3][4]
In 1801, GovernorJohn Sevier had reached the limit of three consecutive terms allowed as governor under the state constitution, and Roane ran virtually unopposed to become his successor.[6] TheGreat Seal of Tennessee was adopted during the Roane Administration in 1801, and Tennessee was divided into threeCongressional districts.[5] Roane also signed anti-fraud measures, a law outlawingdueling, and a law prohibiting the disturbance of public worship.[5] Like his predecessor, much of Roane's time as governor was spent dealing with disputes between white settlers and Indians.[5]
Roane coordinated efforts to begin construction of theNatchez Trace, convincing Secretary of WarHenry Dearborn to construct inns and military posts along the road, and provide rewards for the apprehension of bandits who harassed Natchez travellers.[5] He also appointed a commission that successfully resolved a boundary dispute with Virginia.[5] In October 1802, Spain revoked American access to the critical port ofNew Orleans following the port's transfer to France, and Roane, acting on orders from President Jefferson, prepared the state militia for possible armed conflict. The situation was resolved by theLouisiana Purchase the following year.[5]
In February 1803, the state militia convened to elect its commander. The vote ended in a tie between Sevier andAndrew Jackson, and the constitution stipulated that the governor cast the deciding vote. Jackson presented Roane with evidence that Sevier had been complicit in the forging of deeds at North Carolina's Nashville land office in the 1780s, and Roane cast the deciding vote for Jackson.[5]
Enraged that Jackson, 20 years his junior and lacking in military experience, had defeated him for militia commander, Sevier immediately embarked upon a campaign to regain the governorship. Roane and Jackson released the Nashville land office documents and accused Sevier of trying to thwart an investigation into the matter while he was governor, but Sevier's popularity proved insurmountable. On election day, Sevier defeated Roane, 6,780 votes to 4,923.[5]
After losing the 1803 gubernatorial election, Roane returned to the practice of law.[3] In 1805, he again challenged Sevier for the governorship, but was defeated, 10,293 votes to 5,795.[6]
In 1811, Roane was elected to acircuit judgeship, and in 1815, he became a judge on theTennessee Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals, which had replaced the Superior Court of Law and Equity as the state's highest court in 1809.[3][7] He served on that court until his death on January 18, 1819.[3] He was a promoter of institutions of higher learning until his death, serving as a trustee ofBlount College (the forerunner of theUniversity of Tennessee),Greeneville College, and Washington College.[4]
Roane is buried at Pleasant Forest Cemetery inFarragut, Tennessee.[8] In June 1918, the state placed a monument on his grave, which was previously unmarked.[5]
Roane County, Tennessee, is named in his honor.[3]Roane County, West Virginia, is named for a cousin,Spencer Roane.[2] A nephew,John Selden Roane, wasgovernor of Arkansas.[9] Archibald Roane's wife, Ann, was a sister of ColonelArthur Campbell (1743–1811) and JudgeDavid Campbell (1750–1812), an aunt of GovernorDavid Campbell (1779–1859) of Virginia, and a great-aunt of future Tennessee governorWilliam B. Campbell (1807–1867).[10]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of Tennessee 1801–1803 | Succeeded by John Sevier |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
