Isham G. Harris of Tennessee

Download or read book Isham G. Harris of Tennessee written by Sam Davis Elliott and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Isham Green Harris rose to prominence as leader of the southern rights wing of the Democratic Party in the 1850's. During the secession crisis of 1861, he used his influence and constitutional power as governor to trample on the Tennessee constitution in order to align Tennessee with the Confederacy; he tirelessly supported the Confederate war effort. When the war ended, he went into voluntary and temporary exile in Mexico, returning home in late 1867. He eventually became the best known of the state's Bourbon Democrats and was elected United States Senator in 1877, remaining in that office until his death.