John J. Crittenden

John J. Crittenden
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 8th district
In office March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863
Preceded by	William E. Simms
Succeeded by	William H. Randall
United States Senator from Kentucky
In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1861
Preceded by	Archibald Dixon
Succeeded by	John C. Breckinridge
In office March 31, 1842 – June 12, 1848
Preceded by	Henry Clay
Succeeded by	Thomas Metcalfe
In office March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1841
Preceded by	George M. Bibb
Succeeded by	James Morehead
In office March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819
Preceded by	Martin D. Hardin
Succeeded by	Richard Mentor Johnson
15th and 22nd United States Attorney General
In office July 22, 1850 – March 4, 1853
President	Millard Fillmore
Preceded by	Reverdy Johnson
Succeeded by	Caleb Cushing
In office March 5, 1841 – September 12, 1841
President	William Henry Harrison John Tyler
Preceded by	Henry D. Gilpin
Succeeded by	Hugh S. Legaré
17th Governor of Kentucky
In office September 6, 1848 – July 31, 1850
Lieutenant	John L. Helm
Preceded by	William Owsley
Succeeded by	John L. Helm
22nd Secretary of State of Kentucky
In office April 1834 – February 4, 1835
Governor	James Morehead
Preceded by	Lewis Sanders Jr.
Succeeded by	William Owsley
Personal details
Born	John Jordan Crittenden (1787-09-10)September 10, 1787 Versailles, Virginia (now part of Kentucky), U.S.
Died	July 26, 1863(1863-07-26) (aged 75) Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S.
Resting place	Frankfort Cemetery
Political party	Democratic-Republican (before 1825) National Republican (1825–1830) Whig (1830–1856) American (1856–1859) Constitutional Union (1859–1861) Unionist (1861–1863)
Spouse(s)	Sarah Lee Maria Knox Todd Elizabeth Moss
Education	Washington and Lee University College of William and Mary (BA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Kentucky Militia
Battles/wars	War of 1812

John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 – July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as United States Attorney General in the administrations of William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore. He was also the 17th governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislature. Although frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the U.S. presidency, he never consented to run for the office.

During his early political career, Crittenden served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and was chosen as speaker on several occasions. With the advent of the Second Party System, he allied with the National Republican (later Whig) Party and was a fervent supporter of Henry Clay and opponent of Democrats Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren.

Lame duck president John Quincy Adams nominated Crittenden to the U.S. Supreme Court on December 17, 1828, but senators who supported president-elect Jackson voted to postpone confirmation until Jackson could nominate his own man. After his brief service as Kentucky secretary of state, the state legislature elected Crittenden to the second of his four non-consecutive stints in the U.S. Senate. Upon his election as president, William Henry Harrison appointed Crittenden as Attorney General, but five months after Harrison's death, political differences prompted him to resign rather than continue his service under Harrison's successor, John Tyler.

He was returned to the Senate in 1842, serving until 1848, when he resigned to run for governor, hoping his election would help Zachary Taylor win Kentucky's vote in the 1848 presidential election. Taylor was elected, but Crittenden refused a post in his cabinet, fearing he would be charged with making a "corrupt bargain", as Clay had been in 1825. Following Taylor's death in 1850, Crittenden resigned the governorship and accepted Millard Fillmore's appointment as attorney general.

As the Whig Party crumbled in the mid-1850s, Crittenden joined the Know Nothing (or American) Party. After the expiration of his term as attorney general, he was again elected to the U.S. Senate, where he urged compromise on the issue of slavery to prevent the breakup of the United States. As bitter partisanship increased the threat of secession, Crittenden sought out moderates from all parties and formed the Constitutional Union Party, though he refused the party's nomination for president in the 1860 election. In December 1860, he authored the Crittenden Compromise, a series of resolutions and constitutional amendments he hoped would avert the Civil War, but Congress would not approve them.