Evening star., 1931-11-29
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

/
written history, supplied by one of the
greatest Students of political history,
who several years ago made in Congress
one Of the greatest speeches ever made
on the Constitution of the United
States-former Democratic leader in
the House, now judge in the United
States Court of Customs and Patent
Appeals, Finis J. Garrett. In fact, 1t
corrects what for many years has been
accepted as a well founded historical
fact-tllat Henry Clay was the only
man who ever served in the United
tates Senate before he was 80 years
old
IT have often heard this and had ac-
| cepted it. as correct until some two
wears ago, when had occasion to make
! a brief study of the record OF John
Henry Eaton Of Tennessee, whose place
in history is best dominated, If not
fixed, by the fact that he became the
husband of the piquant Peggy ONeil, F."
said Judge Garrett, not in argumenta-
! tive mood, but with his usually kindly
disposition to snare his historical dis
! coyeries with his friendS-and a desire
| to set history straight.
This same Eaton had Washington in
| a turmoil several times during his. Of
| fetal life, botn socially and politically,
and now rests in the quiet Of Oak Hill
Cemetery.
'Much to my surprise" continued
Judge Garrett, "I found that, accepting
the date of birth given in the Congress
sional Biographical Directory as cor
rect, Eaton was sworn in as United
States Senator from Tennessee when
he was only five months past % years
of age" He supplies the dates as fol-
| lows:
He was born in Halifax County, N.
c., June 18, 1890 He moved to Frank
lin, Williamson County, Tenn, before
reaching maturity, and was there ad-
mitted to the bar In 1915 and again
in 1917 he was elected to the State
Legislature and was serving in that
capacity when George w. Campbell re-
signed on April 20, 1918, from the
United States Senate, to become Mon
| roe's Minister to Russia. Eaton was
| Campbell. think his appointment
took effect September 5, 1918, but the
second session of the Fiftieth Congress
did not convene until November 16,
| 1918.
THE Thirteenth Legislature Of Ten
| nessee convened in regular session in
J September, 1919, and Eaton was elected
! to succeed himself; reelected in 1921
and again in 1925, and served until
March 3, 1929, when he resigned to be-
come Jacksons Secretary of War, and
incidentally, by reason OF his wife, whom
he had married few weeks before the
latter date, social storm center.
! Il have made some effort to verify
the birth date given," Judge Garrett
explains, "and so far as my researches
| extend 1t is correct. If SO, Eaton was
both appointed and elected when
younger than Clay was at the time the
II do not know how Eaton got away
with it," Judge Garrett comments.
| \ X X X
Another interesting field for research
was pointed out by Judge Garrett in
the old Archives Division Of the State
Department, where much enjoyment
was derived from reading the corre-
| spondence between John Forsyth of
Georgia, Secretary of State during the
latter part of Jackson's administration
and retained in the position during the
administration of Van Buren, and
Eaton while the latter was Minister to
| Spain.
There is not much concerning mat
| ters Of public moment in this CORE
| spondence, but some interesting per-
two Statesmen" evidently did not chit
it off" together at all, and some of
Forsyth's expressions are very severe.
| Perhaps the climax was reached when,
| in October, 1888, the Secretary Of State
in a letter to the Minister, referring to
the failure of the latter to pursue GER
tain course relative to consul at Bar
celona, said:
THE replies of the department were
| WY To Lat
| not to satisfy your judgment. The
President will, no doubt, regret that his
decision has not met with your appro-
! baton. Some consolation will, however
be afforded by the reflection that YOU
have not comprehended the principles
upon which they have been made, and
that you seem to have forgotten i'm
portant facts communicated by myself
and the contents Of your own letters to
stated that this letter was transmitted
without being submitted to the Presi-
cent (Van BUREN, for his approval" but
| that 1t was purpoSed to Law all corre-
Spondence before him (the Presidert).
Even this singing letter Of the Secre-
| tary of State did not bring Eaton's
resignation, for the vivacious Peggy was
| having a good time in the court of
| Spain, and finally in 184O Eaton was
/
| it had been determined that the services
of a minister to Spain were no longer
needed for the time being" it being
thought charge de affaires will be
sufficient"
No successor to Eaton was appointed
during Van Buren'S administration. One
plausible presumption may be that the
President was unwilling to humiliate
his old associate In Jackson's cabinet,
whose side he had taken In the social
| combat over the acceptance of Peggy
O'Neil as the bride of a cabinet oficer
by the dowagers of Washington social
dom. Probably also he did not care to
hurt the feelings of Jackson, who was
Eaton'S friend and who still lived.
All this, however, did not prevent
Eaton from opposing Van Buren's re-
election in 1910. The Biographical
Directory of the American Congress"
records that Eaton declined to support
Van Buren for President in 184O." IN
! cidentally his course then caused a
break in the longtime intimate friend
ship between jackson and Eaton. Judge
Garrett recalls that Jackson dubbed
Eaton IAN ingrate."