Spencer Jarnagin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromTennessee | |
| In office October 17, 1843 – March 3, 1847 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander O. Anderson |
| Succeeded by | John Bell |
| Member of theTennessee Senate | |
| In office 1833–1835 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1792 |
| Died | June 25, 1851 (aged 58–59) |
| Political party | Whig |
| Profession | Politician,Lawyer |
Spencer Jarnagin (1792 – June 25, 1851) was aUnited States Senator fromTennessee from 1843 to 1847.
Jarnagin was born in what was shortly to becomeGrainger County, Tennessee. He graduated from Greenville College in 1813 and after the study oflaw was admitted to thebar in 1817. He served in theTennessee State Senate from 1833 to 1835. From 1836 to 1851 he served on the Board of Trustees for East Tennessee College, now theUniversity of Tennessee. He continued his practice of law after moving toAthens, Tennessee in 1837. Jarnagin was anelector for theWhig ticket ofWilliam Henry Harrison andJohn Tyler in the1840 United States presidential election.
In 1841 he was nominated for U.S. Senator by the Whigcaucus in theTennessee General Assembly. However, some of theDemocrats in the legislature decided that no Senator would be preferable to a Whig. Known as the "Immortal Thirteen" by Tennessee Democrats, they refused to allow a quorum on the issue. By the time Jarnagin was eventually elected to the seat and sworn in, over two and half years, almost half of the term, had elapsed. Jarnagin finally assumed office on October 17, 1843 and served until March 3, 1847. During this time, he served as the Chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. The Whigs nominated him for a second term in 1847, but he was not elected, apparently the Democrats being more amenable toJohn Bell, another Whig who was eventually elected his successor; a subsequent campaign by Jarnagin for theTennessee Supreme Court was likewise unsuccessful. Jarnagin moved toMemphis and continued his practice of law there. Jarnagin died from cholera at 1 A.M. on the morning of June 25, 1851 in Memphis.[1][2] He was interred in that city'sElmwood Cemetery.
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Tennessee October 17, 1843 – March 3, 1847 Served alongside:Ephraim H. Foster andHopkins L. Turney | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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