Governor's Corner — John J. Crittenden
Russellville, Logan County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Governor's Corner. John J. Crittenden, 1787-1863, lived here, 1811-18. War of 1812, State Legislator, 15th Kentucky Governor. U.S. Atty. Gen. under three Presidents. Five times U.S. Senator. Noted for Crittenden Compromise, 1860, futile effort to avert Civil War and preserve the Union. His last words: "Let all the ends thou aimest at be thy country's, thy God's and truth's." Dedicated June 17, 1964.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
This corner was home to John J. Crittenden from 1811 to 1818, early in a career that made him one of Kentucky's most distinguished statesmen. He served in the War of 1812, sat in the legislature, became the state's fifteenth governor, and was U.S. Attorney General under three presidents and a five-time senator. He is best remembered for the Crittenden Compromise of 1860, a last, failed attempt to hold the Union together on the eve of the Civil War.
Why it matters
Crittenden's compromise embodied the border-state search for middle ground, and its failure marked the point at which sectional conflict could no longer be bargained away.
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Related people
- · John J. Crittenden
Themes & tags
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