The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1921-10-26


war This sudden elevation OF Mrs.
Eaton into the cabinet social circle
was resented by the wives of several
Of Jackson's secretaries and charges
were made against her Of improper
conduct with Eaton previous to her
marriage 20 him. The refusal Of the
wives of the cabinet members to rec
ognize the wife Of his friend angered
President Jackson ana he tried to
cocrcn them.
Eventually and partly for this
reason he almost completely rcorgan-
lied his cabinet. TIE effect of the in
cident on the political fortunes of
Vice-Pr"sident John C. Calhoun to
Martin Van Burcn, the secretary or
state, who had taken Jacksons side
in the quarrel and had shown marked
attention to Mrs. Eaton, and whose
subsequent elevation to the presiden-
cy through ,jacksons favor was no
doubt partly attributed to this incl
dent In 1896. Mrs. Eaton accompan-
| led her husband to Spain, whore he
was United States minister from
1886 to 1870
After the death of her husband
she married young Italian dancing
master, Antonio Buchignani, but soon
obtained a divorce from him. She
died in Washington, Move mber 8,
1879"
In Applcton's 'EIncycfopcdia is a very
fair statement of the Peggy O'Ncal at-
iair, and the following is drawn from
that work. Aftcr reciting that Vice
President Calhoun and Jackson's sec
rotary of state, Martin Van Burcn,
were rival aspirants for succession to
the presidency, it is written.
a curious affair now comes in to
influence Jackson's Dcrsonal relation
TO these men early in 1929, Eaton.
secretary Of war, married Mrs.
Timbcrlakc, with whose reputation
gossip had been busy. 1t was said
that he had shown her too much at
tention during the lifetime of her
first husband.
Jackson was always slow to be-
ilcVe charges against a woman His
own wife, who had been outrageous
~ maligncd by the Whig newspapers
during the campaign, had lately died
and there was just enough outward
similarity between Eaton's marriage
and his own to make him take Mrs
liaton's part with more than custom
ary vchcmcncc.
Caused Break With Calh0u0
MIS-. Calhoun and the wives of
the secretaries would not recognize
Mrs. Eaton Mrs Donclson, wife of
President Jackson's nephew and mis-
tress of ceremonies at the White
House, took q similar stand, but all
in vain
Foremost among those who frown-
ed MIS-. Eaton out of society was
Mrs. Calhoun. On the other hand Mr..
Van Burcn, a widower, found himself
able to be somewhat more complais-
ant and accordingly rose in Jackson's
esteem.
The fires were famed by Lewis |
and Kendall, who saw in Van Buren,
more eligible ally than Calhoun.
Presently intelligence was obtained
from Crawford. who hated Calhoun,
to tie effect that the latter, as n men,
Der of Monroes cabinet, had disap-
proved of Jackson's conduct in Flori-
da. This was quite true but Calhoun
had discrctcly yielded his Judgment
to that Of the cabinet le dby Adams,
and thus had Officially sanctioned
Jacksons conduct.
These facts, as handled by Eaton |
and Lewis led Jackson to suspect Cal
houn Of treacherous double dealing,
ana the result was q quarrel which
broke up the cabinet In order to get |
Calhoun's friends, Ingram. Branch
and Bcrrcn out Of the cabict, the
other secretaries began rcsigning. |
This device did not succeed and the !
ouStngS Of the three secretaries en-
tailed further uuarrcling, in the course
of which the Eaton affair and the |
Florida business were beaten thread |
bare in the newspapers and evoked |
Sundry challenges to deadly cOmbats.
In the summer Of 1881 the nuw
cabinet was formed consisting Of ed |
ward Livingston. secretary Of state;
Louis Mclyanc, treasurer: Lewis Cass, |
war; Levi Woodbury., navy; Roger b. |
Tancy, attorney general; in the post
~, IN, W.,