John Norvell

John Norvell
United States Senator fromMichigan
In office January 26, 1837 – March 3, 1841
Preceded by	Himself (Shadow Senator)
Succeeded by	William Woodbridge
United States Shadow Senator from theMichigan Territory
In office November 10, 1835 – January 26, 1837
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Himself (U.S. Senator)
Personal details
Born	(1789-12-21)December 21, 1789 Danville, Kentucky,U.S.
Died	April 24, 1850(1850-04-24)(aged 60) Detroit, Michigan,U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Battles/wars	War of 1812

John Norvell(December 21, 1789 – April 24, 1850) was a newspaper editor and one of the firstU.S. SenatorsfromMichigan.

History

Norvell was born inDanville, Kentucky,then still a part ofVirginia,where he attended the common schools. His parents were LieutenantLipscomb Norvell,an officer of the Virginia Line in theAmerican Revolutionary War,and Mary Hendrick. Lipscomb Norvell was taken prisoner by theRevolutionary Warwhen they capturedCharleston, South Carolina,in 1781, and later was an original member of theSociety of the Cincinnati.Lipscomb is buried in theNashville City CemeteryinNashville,Tennessee.

Lipscomb descended from CaptainHugh Norvell(1666–1719), one of the original trustees ofWilliamsburg, Virginiain the 17th century and a Vestryman atBruton Parish Church.Mary Norvell, Lipscomb's daughter, married James Walker, the father ofWilliam Walker(1824–1860) a soldier of fortune or filibusterer inNicaraguain 1857.

In 1807, Norvell wrote to U.S. PresidentThomas Jefferson:

It would be a great favor, too, to have your opinion of the manner in which a newspaper, to be most extensively beneficial, should be conducted, as I expect to become the publisher of one for a few years.

Accept venerable patriot, my warmest wishes for your happiness.

— John Norvell

He received a reply in which Jefferson first recommended authors to read on government and history, then issued a scathing critique of newspapers:

To your request of my opinion of the manner in which a newspaper should be conducted, so as to be most useful, I should answer, 'by restraining it to true facts & sound principles only.' Yet I fear such a paper would find few subscribers. It is a melancholy truth, that a suppression of the press could not more completely deprive the nation of its benefits, than is done by its abandoned prostitution to falsehood. Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.... I will add, that the man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods & errors. He who reads nothing will still learn the great facts, and the details are all false.

Despite Jefferson's highly skeptical appraisal, Norvell apparently took his words as a challenge to reform newspapers and decided to learn the printing trade. Norvell did not publish this letter until after Jefferson's death in 1826, the original letter is now lost, but was in his son's possession as late as 1880.

Norvell edited theBaltimore Whig1813–1814. He also studied law, was admitted to thebarin 1814, and began a private practice inBaltimore.He enlisted as aprivatein theWar of 1812,serving in theBattle of Bladensburg.

Norvell's adventures during the War of 1812 were chronicled in theSome Account of the Life ofSpencer Houghton Cone,A Baptist Preacher in America.Norvell and his brother in law Spencer Cone were partners in Baltimore and together at the Battle of Bladensburg. After the battle, they returned to Washington to rescue their wives, who had been left there.

In Washington, D.C., a scene of terror greeted Norvell and Cone. Catherine Cone Norvell was eight months pregnant and could only travel by wagon. They attempted to walk out of the city, but Cone's feet were badly blistered and he found it impossible to move. Norvell found a pony in a neighboring field and caught him. Cone mounted him and they were once again on their way. Stopping at theWhite House,they asked one of the slaves for a drink. They then crossed thePotomac Riverand proceeded out of the city for three miles. They were so exhausted that they fell asleep even before they had finished their meager meal, sleeping on the bag of clothes spread out on the floor. While the men slept, Amelia, Cone's wife, awoke and went out into the garden—in the distance she could see the burning White House andCapitolbuilding.

After the conclusion of the War of 1812, Norvell worked at various newspapers in several cities, including: theBaltimore Patriot1815–1817. Norvell stayed withThe Patriotalmost two years before abruptly moving back toKentucky,possibly with the encouragement ofHenry Clay,where he took over the state's oldest newspaper, theLexington Kentucky Gazettein 1817. For nearly the next two years, he maintained Clay's support at home, which earned Norvell apparently no great pecuniary rewards. Early that year, he was again applying for clerkships in Washington, and soon moved east toPhiladelphia,where he became editor of an anti-Federalist newspaper. By 1819, he joined the Franklin Gazette, which he published withRichard Bache Jr.,the brother of Benjamin Franklin Bache, and grandson ofBenjamin Franklin.TheFranklin Gazette,which supported Jefferson politically, was published in offices "at 180 the first door on the left hand side of Carpenter's lane, leading from the Post Office to the Bank of the United States."

In June 1829, Norvell and John R. Walker co-founded thePennsylvania Inquirer,which later was renamedThe Philadelphia Inquirer,although they had to sell the paper in November toJesper Harding.Norvell continued to work in newspapers when he was appointed to an office in theU.S. Department of the Treasuryby his friendAlexander J. Dallas,who was thenTreasury Secretaryin theJames Madison administration.

Michigan

Norvell's grave at Elmwood Cemetery inDetroit

In 1831, Norvell moved toMichigan Territoryafter being appointed postmaster ofDetroitbyAndrew Jackson.Norvell was awarded the post because of his support of U.S. PresidentAndrew Jackson,as were many other printers who had supported the Republican (democratic) party. He served as postmaster until 1836. The people in the Michigan Territory had approved a constitution and elected state officials in 1835, although it was not admitted as a state until 1837 because of a conflict known as theToledo Warwith neighboringOhio.Norvell was selected to be Senator in 1835. However, because the state of Michigan had not been recognized, he was only granted "spectator" status.

Norvell was an influential and active participant in the first constitutional convention in 1835.He was a member of theBoard of Regents of the University of Michiganfrom 1837 to 1839.

Upon the admission of Michigan as a state into the Union, Norvell entered theU.S. Senatewith theJacksonianwing of theDemocratic-Republican Party.He served one term in the24th,25th,and26thcongresses from January 26, 1837, to March 3, 1841. He did not seek reelection and resumed the practice of law in Detroit.

Norvell was a member of theMichigan State Senatein 1841 and of theMichigan State House of Representativesin 1842. He served asUnited States district attorneyin Michigan from 1846 to 1849.

Personal

Norvell had ten sons by three wives. His third wife, Isabella Hodgkiss Freeman (1804–1873) was the adopted daughter of Tristram B. Freeman, a noted Philadelphia printer and founder of the Freeman auction house. Her parents were Michael Hodgkiss and Sarah DeWeese. With Isabella, Norvell fathered two daughters and eight sons, one of whom fought in theMexican–American Warand six of whom fought in theAmerican Civil War.They all survived the war. Colonel Freeman Norvell was aMarinelieutenant who fought at theBattle of Chapultepecin September 1847 and in the Civil War at theBattle of Gettysburgin 1863. Freeman's younger brother Lt. Dallas Norvell served on the staff of GeneralGeorge Custer.Another son, ColonelStevens Thompson Norvell,was an officer with the 10th CavalryBuffalo Soldiersafter the war and at theBattle of San Juan HillwithTheodore Rooseveltduring theSpanish American War.Norvell's older daughter Isabella Gibson Norvell married Capt. Angus Keith, aGreat Lakesboat captain, and the younger daughter Emily Virginia Norvell marriedHenry Nelson Walker,a newspaper owner, lawyer, and attorney general of Michigan.

Norvell died inDetroiton April 24, 1850, the day that news came from Washington that he had been appointed U.S. Consul toTurkey.He is interred inElmwood Cemeteryin Detroit.Norvell TownshipinJackson County, Michigan,is named for him.

References

Notes

Sources

• Goodwin, William A.,The Record of Bruton Parish Church,Richmond, Virginia, 1941.
• Hemans, Lawton T.,The Life and Times of Stevens Thompson Mason,Lansing, Michigan, 1920.
• Streeter, Floyd Benjamin,Political Parties in Michigan 1837-1860,Lansing, Michigan, 1918.
• Pasley, Jeffrey,The Tyranny of Printers: Newspaper Politics in the Early American Republic.Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2001.
• Pasley, Jeffrey, "The 'Indiscreet Zeal' of John Norvell: Newspaper Publishing and Politics in the Early Republic." Paper read at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians, Atlanta, Ga., April 14, 1994.
• Norvell, Colonel Freeman, "History and Times of the Hon. John Norvell" Michigan Pioneer Collections, Lansing Michigan, 1881.

External links

• United States Congress."John Norvell (id: n000158)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• John NorvellArchived2004-09-03 at theWayback Machinefacsimile pages fromMichigan Biographies,Michigan Historical Commission, 1924
• Jefferson's letter to Norvell
• Original version of Jefferson's letter to NorvellatLibrary of Congress
• John Norvell entryatThe Political Graveyard