John Henry Eaton
(June 18, 1790 – November 17, 1856) was an American politician and diplomat from Tennessee who served as U.S. Senator and as Secretary of War in the administration of Andrew Jackson. He was the youngest U.S. Senator in history, having been 28 years old at the time of his swearing-in.
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JOHN EATON TICKETS
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Biography
Eaton was born near
Scotland Neck,
Halifax County,
North Carolina. His first wife was Myra Lewis, who died before 1818, when he was 28 years old.
In 1829, years after meeting her and her husband in Washington, DC, Eaton married his second wife
Peggy O'Neill Timberlake, a longtime friend and newly bereaved widow.
Eaton was a
lawyer and member of the
Democratic Party (United States). He served in the
U.S. Army during the
War of 1812. He was a member of
Tennessee House of Representatives from 1815 to 1816.
In 1818 he was elected Senator from
Tennessee and served until 1821. He served again from 1821 to 1829. His age of 28 at the time of his entry to the Senate was notable; it contradicted the US Constitution's requirement that all Senators be over the age of 30. At the time, many people did not know their actual birth records. It is not certain what occurred in this case. In any event, if challenged, Eaton could have referred to previous under-aged Senators
Armistead Mason or
Henry Clay.
Eaton was a close personal friend of
Andrew Jackson. After Jackson became
President, Eaton and
Postmaster General Amos Kendall were members of Jackson's Cabinet who were also part of his informal circle of advisors. Jackson detractors called them his the "
Kitchen Cabinet". (Apparently this group did, in fact, frequently meet in the
White House kitchen.)
Eaton resigned his Senate seat in 1829 to take up appointment as Jackson's
Secretary of War, a post in which he served from 1829 to 1831. Like other Cabinet members, he resigned over a social
scandal concerning his marriage to his second wife Peggy. Some respectable women had snubbed her because she and Eaton married shortly after her first husband's death. In addition, there were rumors they had been having an affair prior to their marriage. The disruption penetrated the Cabinet, as wives became involved on opposite sides of the issue. Jackson was furious to have his friend's wife scorned. The controversy was known as the
Petticoat Affair and indirectly contributed to the political rise of
Martin Van Buren, a member of Jackson's cabinet who supported the Eatons.
Eaton later served as
Governor of
Florida Territory from 1834 to 1836, and
ambassador to Spain from 1836 to 1840.
Eaton, a
Freemason, died in
Washington, D.C. on November 17, 1856. He was buried at
Oak Hill Cemetery,
Washington, D.C.
Eaton County, Michigan is named in his honor.
References