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Letter from John Cowan, 23 January 1844

Source Note

, Letter, , Orleans Parish, LA, to JS, , Hancock Co., IL, 23 Jan. 1844; handwriting and signature of ; two pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal notation, postal stamp, and dockets.
Bifolium measuring 9⅞ × 8 inches (25 × 20 cm). The letter was inscribed on the first leaf. The recto of the second leaf is blank. The letter was trifolded twice in letter style for mailing, addressed, and sealed with a red adhesive wafer. There is a remnant of the wafer on the verso of the second leaf where the letter was sealed.
The document was docketed by , who served as scribe to JS from 1842 to 1844, and by , who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1859. The document was listed in an inventory that was produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904. By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The document’s early dockets, its listing in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 29 June 1842; “Clayton, William,” in Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:718.

    Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–1936.

  2. [2]

    “Obituary of Leo Hawkins,” Millennial Star, 30 July 1859, 21:496–497.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  3. [3]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [3], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  4. [4]

    See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 23 January 1844, resident and member wrote a letter from to JS in , Illinois, reporting on his recent activity in the area, including a conversation he had with politician . A former senator and secretary of state, Clay was the presumptive Whig candidate for president. He was widely recognized as the leader of the Whig Party and as one of the most prominent and influential politicians in the nation. Clay’s primary residence was in Kentucky, but the former senator often spent part of the winter in New Orleans. JS had previously sent Cowan to meet with political leaders to lobby for favorable treatment of the . However, there is no record of JS sending Cowan to New Orleans, and it is unclear why Cowan was there.
In November 1843, JS wrote letters to five men expected to run for president of the in 1844, including , asking each what he would do, if elected, to help the Latter-day Saints obtain redress for their lost property in . Clay responded to JS that same month, explaining that he was sympathetic to the plight of the Saints. Yet, as a candidate for the presidency, he wished to “enter into no engagements, make no promises, give no pledges, to any particular portion of the people of the ,” so that if he became president he could assume the office “free and unfettered, with no guarantees but such as are to be drawn from my whole life, character and conduct.” At the time Cowan wrote this letter, JS had not yet responded to Clay.
According to , told him privately that if elected president he would protect the rights of all citizens, including the Latter-day Saints. Cowan was confident that Clay would win the presidency in the election that fall. Accordingly, he urged JS to establish a Clay Club—an organization to electioneer for Clay—in , presumably to garner favor with Clay ahead of the election.
On 30 January, sent the letter to JS from , Tennessee, by post. JS likely received it in early February. There is no extant response from JS.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Remini, Henry Clay, 632.

    Remini, Robert V. Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union. New York: W. W. Norton, 1991.

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 9 Mar. 1843. Later, Cowan traveled to Washington DC and Baltimore and met with United States president John Tyler, urging him to provide JS with a United States Army commission. Although Cowan moved to Henderson County, Illinois, in 1836 and died there in 1853, he was a member of the Nauvoo Legion in Hancock County, Illinois. Cowan’s assignments from JS and his membership in the Nauvoo Legion indicate that he was most likely a church member. (John Cowan, New York City, NY, to JS, Nauvoo, IL, 31 May 1844, JS Collection, CHL.)

  3. [3]

    JS, Draft Letter to Presidential Candidates, 4 Nov. 1843, JS Collection, CHL; JS, Journal, 4 Nov. 1843; see also Historical Introduction to Letter to John C. Calhoun, 4 Nov. 1843.

  4. [4]

    Letter from Henry Clay, 15 Nov. 1843.

  5. [5]

    In 1844 most presidential candidates refrained from campaigning openly. Instead, they relied on supporters to campaign on their behalf. To this end, Whigs throughout the country formed Clay Clubs to organize electioneering efforts locally. (See Wood, Radicalism of the American Revolution, chap. 16; Cheathem, Coming of Democracy, 9–11; and Klotter, Henry Clay, 305.)

    Wood, Gordon S. The Radicalism of the American Revolution. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1992.

    Cheathem, Mark R. The Coming of Democracy: Presidential Campaigning in the Age of Jackson. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018.

    Klotter, James C. Henry Clay: The Man Who Would Be President. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.

  6. [6]

    The letter was likely transmitted from Memphis to Nauvoo by steamboat on the Mississippi River. Steamboats often traveled from New Orleans to St. Louis, and Memphis was a stop on that route. Going from New Orleans to St. Louis could take a week or longer depending on the conditions of the river. The mail was then often transferred to another steamboat that traveled between St. Louis and the area near Nauvoo, a trip that took approximately one day. (Leonard, Nauvoo, 80; “Regular Line from Saint Louis to Hannibal, Marion City, Quincy, Warsaw and Keokuck,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 13 July 1841, [3].)

    Leonard, Glen M. Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2002.

    Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

Page [1]

— Jan 23d 1844—
Dear General—
I hadd meant to have written to you before this time— but have been very much engaged— but must take time to say a few words to you— I had a long conversation with — he told me— he had received a letter from you, in regard to his views— of the Mormons— there is one thing very certain; that he is a very good friend of yours— and speaks highly in favor of your — Old fellow; I have a great many things to communicate to you— but will delay it for the present— I have made some money in the opperations of Sugar— by bills of exchange— upon my friends in — I shall leave here in a short time— shall visit your place next Summer— General Felix— Huston of this place— is a great friend of yours— and speaks of many plans— of opperation he is here— practising— Law— but will take the field again— as soon as oppertunity offers— Our mutual friend— — is here— with the Steemer— “Maid of Iowa—” — is a good fellow but has fell into bad hands— which I am affraid will not do well— but time will prove all— How I should like to see you for a few moments [p. [1]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from John Cowan, 23 January 1844
ID #
1258
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Cowan

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS was the lieutenant general of the Nauvoo Legion. Cowan was a member of the legion and of JS’s general staff. (“Roll of the Lieut Gen Staff of the Nauvoo Legion,” 15 Sept. 1843, Albert P. Rockwood, Papers, CHL.)

    Rockwood, Albert P. Papers, 1832–1877. CHL. MS 14888.

  2. [2]

    JS, Draft Letter to Presidential Candidates, 4 Nov. 1843, JS Collection, CHL.

  3. [3]

    Huston was an attorney who served as the first commanding general of the Army of the Republic of Texas in 1836 before being replaced the next year. In 1840 he moved to New Orleans and started a law practice. (Sons of the Republic of Texas, 99–100.)

    Sons of the Republic of Texas. Paducah, KY: Turner, 2001.

  4. [4]

    The Maid of Iowa was a steamboat that JS owned with his wife Emma Smith and church member Dan Jones. Jones captained the boat, which shipped passengers and freight all along the Mississippi River. In December 1843, Hollister leased the ship from JS and Emma Smith. Sometime between October 1843 and January 1844, the boat was badly damaged, and the subsequent repairs added considerable debt to the ship and its operations. In January 1844, a sheriff in New Orleans detained the boat until its associated debts were paid. (See Lease to David S. Hollister, 2 Dec. 1843; Letter from David S. Hollister, 8 Jan. 1844; and Letter from Dan Jones, 8 Jan. 1844; see also Enders, “Steamboat Maid of Iowa,” 331–335.)

    Enders, Donald L. “The Steamboat Maid of Iowa: Mormon Mistress of the Mississippi.” BYU Studies 19, no. 3 (Spring 1979): 321–335.

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