19 Facts About Andrew Stevenson

Andrew Stevenson was an American politician, lawyer and diplomat.

Andrew Stevenson represented Richmond, Virginia in the Virginia House of Delegates and eventually became its speaker before being elected to the United States House of Representatives; its members subsequently elected him their Speaker.

Andrew Stevenson served on the board of visitors of the University of Virginia and briefly as its rector before his death.

Andrew Stevenson was the son of James Stevenson and Frances Arnette Stevenson.

Andrew Stevenson received a private education appropriate to this class, then attended the College of William and Mary where he studied law.

In both 1814 and 1816, Andrew Stevenson unsuccessfully sought a seat in the US House of Representatives.

In 1820, Andrew Stevenson won election to the 17th US Congress as a Democratic-Republican.

Andrew Stevenson was elected Speaker of the House on December 3,1827, the opening day of the 20th Congress.

In February 1836, President Andrew Jackson renominated Stevenson for Minister to Great Britain.

Andrew Stevenson's term as Minister to the United Kingdom was marked by controversy: the abolitionist cause was growing in strength, and some sections of public opinion resented the choice of Stevenson, who was a slaveowner, for this role.

Andrew Stevenson, outraged, challenged O'Connell to a duel, but O'Connell, who had a lifelong aversion to dueling, refused, and suggested that he had been misquoted.

The controversy became public and the repeated references to slave breeding caused Andrew Stevenson a good deal of embarrassment; there was a widespread view that if O'Connell's charges were false Andrew Stevenson would have done better to simply ignore them rather than engaging in a public squabble.

In 1846, Andrew Stevenson purchased the Blenheim estate in Albemarle County, Virginia.

Andrew Stevenson had owned eight enslaved people in Richmond during the 1820 federal census, and 1830 federal census.

Andrew Stevenson died during childbirth in 1812, giving birth to:.

In 1816, Andrew Stevenson married his second wife, Sarah "Sally" Coles, who was a cousin of Dolley Madison and a sister of Edward Coles, who served as Governor of Illinois.

Andrew Stevenson died at his Blenheim estate on January 25,1857.

Andrew Stevenson was buried at Enniscorthy Cemetery in Keene, Virginia.

Andrew Stevenson's firstborn son, John White Stevenson, followed his father's career path into law and politics, serving as Congressman during his father's lifetime, then as Governor of Kentucky following the American Civil War and later as US Senator.