Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-22
GENERAL ATKINS DEAD
Served Throughout Confed-
crate Congress.
NOTABLE PUBLIC CAREER
Long i'm House of Representatives
and Made Randall Its Speaker.
ONCE INDIAN COMMISSIONER
Defeated for Senate From Tennessee
in Contest With Isham g.
Harris in 1888.
NOTABLE PUBLIC CAREER
ONCE INDIAN COMMISSIONED

John De Witt Clinton Atkins. Familiarity
known as Gen. Atkins. noted southern
orator. statesman and leader, died at his
home at Paris, Tenn. Saturday at eighty
three years - Particulars regarding
the funeral are not known I'm Washington.
Gen. Atkins will be remembered in
Washington both as a member in the
House of Representatives for a long time.
as chairman of the House committee on
appropriations following the elevation of
Samuel ]. Randall to the speakership, and
later as commissioner Of Indian affairs.
His public career was long and distin-
guished.
Studied Law and Maintained Farm.
Tenn. June 4, 1925 He received q good
early education and was graduated at the
East Tennessee University with first hon.
ors in 1916. Later he studied law.
although still retaining his avocation of
farmer. Of which he was always proud.
He was elected a member of the Ten
nessee house of representatives in 1S49
and again in 1851. In 1855 he was elected
to the state senate of Tennessee, and in
1856 he was president of the democratic
state convention and was chosen presi-
dental elector.
In 1857 he ran his famous race for rep
resentative in the Congress of the United
States from the eighth district Of Ten
nessee. defeating Emerson Etheridge, a
famous wing orator, by the narrow mar
gin of seventeen votes. During this cam
it in 1859. when he was beaten by Ether
ldge by seven votes, the people gathered
for miles around in wagons. on horseback
and afoot to hear these two distinguished
r-h ~>1x -
place until the campaign closed.
Two years later, when the civil wal
broke out, Etheridge became clerk of the
house Of representatives. Gen. Atkins
cast his fortunes with the Confederacy.
Gen. Atkins was also an elector for the
state at large on the Breckenridge ticket
in 1850, the contest which resulted in the
choice of Abraham Lincoln as President
Of the United States.
Service Under Confedracy.
In 1861 Gen. Atkins received his COM
Tennessee Regiment. In August of that
Confederate congress, reelected In No
vember of the same year and again re-
elected in November. 1863.
He was elected a member of the House
OF Representatives In the United States
Congress in 1872 and served continuously
for ten years. through the forty-third,
Forty-fourth and Forty-f1fth Congresses,
and was reelected to the Forty-seventh
Congress as democrat. receiving 1O999
votes. as against 9, S73 votes for Hawkins,
the republican nominee. and 2.723 votes
for Travis, who also ran as a democrat.
During the famous bitter contest for
the speakership of the House of Represent
atiyes In 1879 between J. c. 8. Blackburn,
ord tor frnVV okxy md
now q member of the Panama canal COM
mission, and Samuel ]. Randall, it was
Gen. Atkins who marshaled the southern
members into line to vote for Randall, a
northern democrat, against an ex-Confed-
crate.
1t will be remembered that at this time
Randall had just made and won his great
fight against the force bill. This achieve
ment of Gen. Atkins was regarded at the
time as remarkable. and at once singled
him out as man Of force and influence.
When Randall was elevated to the
speakership he again made Gen. Atkins
chairman of the House committee on ap-
preparations. post he had held since his
first appointment to it, at the special ses-
sion of Congress in October. 1877. In this
in Congress until 1881. when a republican
House, with Gen. Joseph Warren kiefer
as Speaker. elevated Frank Hiscock to the
Craftsmanship.
Gen. Atkins was one of the conspicuous
southern leaders during the period Of the
famous electoral count in 1876. when, Tor
the first time in the country's history, an
electoral commission was chosen to de-
termine the result Of the election as be-
tween Rutherford B, Hayes and Samuel
]. Tilden.
In Confederate annals Gen. Atkins is
noted as one of the members of the Con-
gress who served continuously as such
from the inception until the passing of the
Confederacy.
He was one Of the last five surviving
members of the Confederate Congress.
Those who still survive are Joseph B.
Heiskell of Memphis. Tenn; H. c. Jones
of Florence. Ala: Gen. Roger Pryor of
New York city, and John Goode of Vir-
ginia, whose present home is at 2OO9
street northwest, in this city.
In the Congress of the United States
Gen. Atkins was a warm personal friend
of the late Speaker Samuel J. Randall, of
Speaker Cannon and of Secretary Wilson
of the Department of Agriculture, who
also served there with him.
Made Indian Commissioner.
Gen. Atkins retired from Congress in
March. 1888. In 1885 he became COM
missioner of Indian affairs under the first
Cleveland administration. remaining as
such until in 1883, when he resigned to
MAKE an unsuccessful contest IOF the SEN
atorship with Isham G. Harris. In 1854
he was again a presidential elector on the
democratic ticket.
Gen. Atkins was married first November
D, 1S45, to Elizabeth Bacon Porter, who
died in 1887. and for the second time, June
"a, 1890. at Paris. Tenn, to Mrs. Flora
Crawford, his widow. One son. John
Atkins of Paris, Tenn, and three daugh-
ters-Mrs Dunlap. Mrs. Hunter and the
widow of a son of Gov. Porter who has
since remarried-with the widow, also
survive.
A nephew, William Atkins. was en-
ployed in the Post Office Department, but,
it is understood, died some time ago.