william blount impeachment

Blount may have achieved further political preferment within his home state, his and his family’s vast fortune was substantially reduced. Blount's attorneys challenged the jurisdiction of the Senate over Blount on two distinct grounds:  first, that a Senator was not a "civil officer" within the meaning of the Constitution's Impeachment Clause; and second, that because Blount had been expelled in July 1797, he was no longer an officer of the government and therefore the Senate no longer had jurisdiction over him. He was appointed governor of Tenessee in 1790 by George Washington and later became one of the two senators of Tennessee when it entered the Union in 1796 (Romney, 2017). Unlike the Southwest Territory, the investment of resources in the Northwest Territory had completely displayed not only the power of the national government, but also its “value.” The cost was the ill-will and alienation of Blount and his constituents who felt alienated and left out.[25]. Noted because he was impeached for: Helping England plot against Spain France … In 1797, 10 years after the Constitution was written, the Senate conducted an impeachment trial after Sen. William Blount no longer held office. Knoxville's William Blount was expelled and then impeached and tried after he left office. Concerning Blount, Adams took evils, such as political opportunism and factionalism, literally, and with him they amounted “to an obsession.” Upon his inauguration to the presidency, Adams brought a long public career, “devoid of Political experience, a detestation of political parties—Federalist and Republican alike—and a deep suspicion of the great European powers.”[37] These are the views that Adams brought to the table as the Blount Conspiracy quickly unfolded during the beginning of his administration. In January 1798, the House voted for five articles of impeachment, which were … The proceedings suggest that the Senate cannot convict impeached officials if they are no longer in office at the time of the trial. [27]Thomas Jefferson to Robert Livingston, April 18, 1802 in Paul Leicester Ford, ed., The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (New York: G.P. Blount failed to appear, however, having returned to Tennessee with no intention of going back to Washington. A number of land speculators, including Blount associate David Allison, went bankrupt. Now I, the said William Blount, Governor in and over the said territory, do hereby command and require the above described persons, and every one of them, immediately to desist from such their intention, and to disperse and retire peaceably, to their respected abodes, within one hour from the moment of promulgation of this proclamation. William Blount. Two hundred twenty years ago today, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Blount. His achievements, although not negligible, were only on par at best, and far less than many of his more famous contemporaries. William Blount served in the North Carolina Legislature and signed the Declaration of Independence; he also served in the Revolutionary army, the Continental Congress, and the Constitutional Convention. Once his commission was confirmed, Blount fully utilized his authority to build a network of personal obligation and influence throughout the territory with officials including justices, sheriffs, constables, clerks, registrars, and every militia officer below the rank of general. . As the Senate chamber predictably exploded in an uproar, Blount entered and was treated to another reading of his document with Jefferson seemingly uncomfortably pressing if the senator was indeed the letter’s author. The first impeachment held after the official left office was the very first impeachment in American history. Adams queried Attorney General Charles Lee for his official opinion on the Blount matter as the facts quickly began to solidify. He was appointed in 1790 by George Washington to be the governor of the territory south of Ohio, and secured statehood for Tennessee, becoming one of that state's first two U.S. senators in 1796. (HeinOnline), 7 Annals of Cong. Jefferson and Madison were referring to the Senate’s first impeachment trial involving former Senator William Blount. Former President Washington was clearly angered and he urged that the appropriate action be taken: The interscepted letter, of which you were at the trouble to send me a copy, if genuine is really an abomination; disgraceful to the Author; and to be regretted, that among us, a man in high trust, and a responsible station, should be found, so debased in his principles as to write it . The Spaniards will certainly be more safe, quiet and useful neighbors. From a prominent and influential Southern colonial-era family, he was an unremarkable member of his state’s House of Commons and later the state’s Senate. On December 21, 1798, Congressman Robert Harper of South Carolina contended that Blount’s reputation, “a man’s dearest possession,” and that of the United States were both in jeopardy. Although he had provided political fodder for both the Federalist and Republican Parties, the episode received a fraction of the political animosity, with its charges and counter-charges, that other individuals experienced. The Senate, in preparation for the trial, gave its doorkeeper the title of sergeant at arms and empowered him to carry out the Senate's orders; he was sent to Knoxville to serve the summons the Senate issued for Blount's appearance at the December 1798 trial. [41] The sword hung over the unaware Blount for nearly two weeks until his letter was presented to the President of the Senate, Thomas Jefferson, on July 3 and was read before the body with Blount … In the Senate, the special topic was if a senator was an officer to the government and, therefore, subject to impeachment for his actions, the same worry as to the stateliness of the national government that had repeatedly materialized within its members’ debates. 7 Footnote Tassel & Finkelman, supra note 3, at 87–88; Melton, supra note 2, at 104–89. The Senate voted to expel him in July 1797, but because of the gravity of the charges Congress continued to investigate the matter. The exposure of Blount’s illegal plans did not lessen his lust for more land or power. The Senate had expelled Blount for “high misdemeanor.” Blount was ordered to appear before a … [28]The Peace of Basel consisted of three peace treaties in which France made peace with Prussia and with Spain ending the War of the Pyrenees. [53]John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, May 1, 1812 in Lester J. Cappon, The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1987). [11]Ibid, 40-41. The proceedings suggest that the Senate cannot convict impeached officials if they are no longer in office at the time of the trial. and then the accused person, with all of the guilt upon his head” had avoided further prosecution. [54]John Adams in Adams, Works of John Adam, 6: 536-537. King Gustav III of Sweden: Friendly Foe of the United States, Thomas Read of Delaware, Part 1: The Creation of the Continental Navy. The first impeachment trial occurred in 1797 when U.S. We feature smart, groundbreaking research and well-written narratives from expert writers. During that discussion, the name William Blount came up. Once President John Adams learned of Blount’s misdeeds, he petitioned the House of Representatives to impeach Blount. William Blount was one of the founding fathers of the American nation and also appears in history as the first public official to face impeachment proceedings. Blount’s career of public service was almost continuous from 1777 until the end of his life in 1800. When the court reconvened on 3 Jan. 1799, TJ took the prescribed oath and presided at the trial. Although the Blount family used every opportunity to enrich themselves using Blount’s position, Blount functioned in a strong manner to carry out the orders arriving from the capital in Philadelphia. Upon his return to Tennessee in 1798, he received almost a hero’s welcome and was subsequently elected to the state’s senate and to the speakership, the state’s second highest office. The House impeached Blount on July 7. is not so much designed to punish an offender as to secure the State.”[49], Blount escaped further impeachment prosecution on a technicality that he was no longer an actively serving federal senator due to his expulsion. That William Blount was a civil officer of the United States within the meaning of the Constitution of the United States, and therefore liable to be impeached by the House of Representatives; That as the articles of impeachment charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors, supposed to have been committed while he was a Senator of the United States, his plea [to dismiss the charges] ought to … When Senate convened as a Court of Impeachment in December, the sergeant at arms formally reported that he had served Blount with the summons; Blount (who by then was serving as Speaker of the Tennessee Senate) was called, but, to no one's surprise, did not appear. (1797-98) (HeinOnline) (use the index volumes to find proceedings prior to Blount's impeachment), 8 Annals of Cong.

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