Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-05-21
THE LATE HENRY s. roorE.

Henry Stuart Foote closed a long
eventful and restless life on the 10Th
inst. near Nashville. This sad event
was not unexpected, as he has for sew
eral months past been suffering from
cancer of the scalp, which has steadily
resisted the very ablest medical skill,
growing daily more and more
excruciatingly painful, until the
strong old man found relif.
in death. Gov. Foote was born
in Farquier county, Va, September
2Oth 1900, and was therefore as old as
the century in which he passed his
stormy life. He graduated in 1919 at
Washington college, now known as
the Lee University, Lexington, was
admitted to the bar in 1922, and in
1924 removed to Tuscumbia, Ala.
where he began the publication Of one
of those little 6x9 sheets which he
afterwards scornfully termed a
'so-called democratic newspaper"
While engaged in thus trying to give
tone and public sentiment to the com
munity," he fought his first duel, his
antagonist being Edmund Winston,
the youngest of the noble family of
Winstons, whose names have added
lustre and renown to the history of
several states. The cause of the diff
iculty was wholly personal, arising
from some misunderstanding in a ball
room. In 1926, Gov. Foote removed
to Jackson, Miss, where he soon en-
gagged in politics, which soon brought
him into personal conflict with the re-
nowned s. S. Prentiss, which culmi
mated in a duel in which Foote
was slightly wounded. We believe
he afterwards fought another duel
with Mr.. John Fitzpatrick, Of Can
ton, but for what cause we are unable
to state. In 1S47 he was elected to
the United State senate, and was !
made chairman Of the committee on
foreign relations. In 1850 he took an
active part in favor of the compromise
measures, and in 1851 resigned his
seat in the senate to accept the nomi.
nation of the union party
tor governor. His first oppo-
nent was John Anthony Quitman,
who retired from the canvass when a
majority of the state convention was
found to be in opposition to the doc
trine Of separate state secession. JEFF
ferson Davis was then put forward by
the states rights party, only a few
days before the day of election which
resulted in the election of Foote BY
less than a thousand majority. He
served but n term, and in 1853 made
the ablest canvass of his life, filling
over two hundred appointments in
different parts Of the state. His object
was to elect a majority to the l%egisla-
ture favorable to his return to the
United States senate. Failing in this.
IN 1884 he removed to California.
where he came very near realizing his
wishes with regard to senate
rial hOnOrs, being only defeated
by a democratic senate with one ma
Jority refusing to meet the house in
joint session, thus deferring the cleo
ton for two years, In 1858 he left
California and returned to Mississippi,
first settling at V~icksburg, but soon
afterwards opened a law Office in this
city, where he continued the practice
OF law until he married Mrs. Smiley
OF Nashville, which city he then made
his home. In the southern conven.
ton in Knoxville, in 1859, he strongly
opposed secession, but in 1861 he
openly espOused the southern cause.
In 1862 he was elected to the Confed-
crate congress by the Tennessee sol
diers in General Bragg's army, but
only distinguished himself in that
body by his personal and political hos.
tility to Jefferson Davis, and fnalIy
abandoned the cause before the close
Of the war and sought refuge inside o.
the Federal lines. Governor Foot,
was also somewhat Of an author, hag.
ing written and published two books
Texas and the Texans in 1901
and The War Of the Rebellion or
Seylla and Charybdis.n