John G. Biel, "Jennings vs. Harrison" manuscript
Collection — Folder: S2485
Identifier: S2485
Scope and Contents
This collection contains a manuscript from John G. Biel in Indiana during the 20th century, regarding the lives and political rivalry that developed between Jonathon Jennings and William Henry Harrison.
Dates
- undated
Creator
- Biel, John G., 1906-1994 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
"Jonathon Jennings, Indiana's first state governor, was a minister's son, born in New Jersey and educated in the common schools of Pennsylvania. Like most of his successors in the governor's chair, Jennings was a lawyer. He was elected as territorial delegate to Congress in 1809, 1811,1812, and 1814, and served as president of the convention called to frame a constitution for the new state of Indiana. His politics were of a personal rather than a party nature. Jennings was elected governor in 1816, handily defeating the incumbent territorial governor, Thomas Posey. He served two terms, leaving office in 1822 after his election to Congress, to which he was re-elected in 1824, 1826, and 1828. He also served on commissions in 1818 and 1832 to negotiate treaties with the Potawatomi, Wea, and Miami Indians. Indiana historian William Wesley Woollen says that Jennings lost his seat in Congress in 1830 because his friends were concerned about his drinking problem, believing that life in Washington tended to increase Jennings' dependence on alcohol."
From: Indiana Historical Bureau. "Jonathan Jennings." IN.gov. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.in.gov/governorhistory/by-year/jonathan-jennings.
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"William Henry Harrison was born in Virginia, the son of Benjamin Harrison, who was himself a governor of Virginia and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Educated at Hampden-Sidney College, the young Harrison entered medical school but was forced to leave in 1791 when his father died. From 1792 to 1794 Harrison was Anthony Wayne's aide-de-camp in battles against the Miami Indians, and he was promoted to captain in 1797. Harrison was appointed secretary of the Northwest Territory on June 26,1798, and in 1799 was elected a territorial delegate to Congress, where he served until May, 1800, when he was appointed governor of the Indiana Territory, an area that initially included all of the original Northwest Territory except Ohio. The twenty-seven-year-old Harrison was to serve as governor of Indiana Territory for twelve years. His dual responsibilities to secure justice for the Indians and to acquire Indian land were often contradictory, but his administration was generally able and honest. With full powers of appointment to office, Harrison was conscientious in seeking out local recommendations for appointees and encouraging the development of representative government in the new territory. During his governorship his military career was enhanced when he defeated the Prophet at Tippecanoe in 1811. He was given command of the Army of the Northwest in the fall of 1812 and resigned as governor a few months later. His forces decisively defeated the British at the Battle of the Thames in 1813. Harrison served as representative to Congress from Ohio from 1816 to 1819, and was elected to one term in the Ohio legislature in 1819. In 1825 he was sent to the United States Senate from the same state. He served as minister to Colombia from 1828 to 1829. Harrison ran for President as a Whig in 1836 and was defeated by Martin Van Buren, but he was victorious in the 1840 race. Harrison died on April 4, 1841, one month after his inauguration, the shortest term of any President in American history. Harrison, sometimes described as the "Washington of the West," was the grandfather of the twenty-third President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison."
From: Indiana Historical Bureau. "Indiana Territorial Governor William Henry Harrison (1773 - 1841)." IN.gov. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.in.gov/history/about-indiana-history-and-trivia/governors-portraits/list-of-governors/indiana-territorial-governor-william-henry-harrison-1773-1841.
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John G. Biel was a native Hoosier born in Terre Haute, Indiana on April 24, 1906, who became a lawyer, businessman, and local historian. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Indiana University and served on many civic and charitable organizations around Terre Haute. In 1933, Biel married Marion Mellor of Michigan City, Indiana. They had one child, Kent Mellor Biel, who was born in 1936. Biel died on February 16, 1994.
Sources:
Items in the collection
Ancestry.com. "John G. Biel." Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Archivegrid. "John G. Biel papers, 1940-1970." Accessed August 23, 2023. https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/28987150.
Indiana Historical Society. "John G. Biel papers, 1940-1970." Finding aid. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/john-g-biel-papers-1940-1970.pdf.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
There is only one item in the collection.
Custodial History
This collection was recieved by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation in 1977.
Accruals
No further additions to the collection are expected.
Processing Information
Processing completed on 2023/07/26 by A.J. Chrapliwy. EAD finding aid created on 2023/08/28 by A.J. Chrapliwy. EAD finding aid revised 2023/08/29 by Brittany Kropf.
Creator
- Biel, John G., 1906-1994 (Person)
- Title
- John G. Biel, "Jennings vs. Harrison" manuscript
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
