Greene County NcArchives Obituaries.....Speight, Senator Jesse 1847 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Cliff Darden cliffdarden@cs.com October 25, 2018, 9:47 pm Abridgement of the Debates of Congress U. S. Senate Obituary for Senator Jesse Speight In Senate Thursday, December 16, 1847 Death of Senator Speight Mr. Foote rose and addressed the Senate as follows: Mr. President: A few days since, we were called upon to assume the customary badges of mournful respect in honor of a deceased Senator from Connecticut; and now, whilst the sentiment of fraternal grief is yet warm in our bosoms, and the tokens of worrowing affection are still visible upon our persons, it has become necessary that I should give renewed pain to the sensibilities of Senators by passing in review before them another dispensation of Divine Providence, which, since the last annual assemblage in this Hall, has deprived the National Legislature of an upright and efficient member, the State of Mississippi of a faithful and approved political agent, and myself of a most worthy and esteemed colleague. The Hon. Jesse Speight died at his own residence, in the State of Mississippi, on Saturday, the first day of May last, after a long and painful illness, which came upon him here, whilst arduously engaged in the extraordinary labors of the last Congress, and which continued to oppress him sorely for several months, until at last he sunk into that grave where now quietly repose all that was mortal of the patriot, the philanthropist, and the statesman. I shall not attempt, on this occasion, to deliver a formal and elaborate eulogy upon my lamented friend, feeling that I shall best display the real respect which I entertain for the well-known republican simplicity of his own tastes, by confining myself to concise and unostentious delineation of his life and character. Jesse Speight was born in the county of Greene, and State of North Carolina, a few years anterior to the close of the last century, where he continued uninterruptedly to reside, until his removal to the State of Mississippi, in the year 1837. Prior to his migration from the State of his nativity, he had officiated as a member of her Legislature, and had likewise supplied material aid in the reformation of her organic law, as a prominent member of the convention which assembled for that purpose in the year 1837. Before leaving North Carolina, he had represented one of the congressional districts of that ancient Commonwealth in the other wing of this Capital for four consecutive terms, closing on the 3d of March, 1837; and I am assured that his whole political conduct at that critical period of our national history was eminently credible to himself and satisfactory to his constituents. After his removal to the West, he successively represented a most intelligent and patriotic constituency, first in one branch of our State Legislature, and then in the other, and presiding over both, at different times, with such distinguished success as greatly to elevate his character as a public man, and multiply the number of his admirers. From the presidency of the Mississippi Senate, he was elected to a seat upon this floor, where he acted under the daily and hourly inspection of those in whose presence I now speak; and I trust that I shall not be deemed by any Senator who hears me at all extravagant, when I assert, that my lamented colleague, whilst connected with this body, gave constant evidence of his possessing a sound, acute, and practical intellect; habits of preserving industry seldom surpassed; inflexible honesty of purpose; a magnanimity of soul, which held him ever in readiness for the performance of generous and noble deeds, and which equally saved him, at all times, from the least participancy in aught that could be recognized as little, or sordid, or illiberal. He was blessed with an unusual sweetness and uniformity of temper, and the unceremonious cordiality of his manners rendered his society particularly agreeable and attractive. In domestic life, he was strikingly amiable and exemplary; and his untimely decease has brought sorrow and disappointment to kind and innocent hearts, which his living presence never failed to inspire with sentiments of buoyant hope and elastic gladness of spirit. Mr. F concluded by offering the following resolutions; which were unanimously adopted: Resolved unanimously, That the Senate, from a desire to exhibit a profound respect for the memory of the Hon. Jesse Speight, late a member thereof, will go into mounrning by wearing crape on the left arm for thirty days. Resolved, That, as an additional mark of respect for the memory of the Hon. Jesse Speight, the Senate do now adjourn. Ordered, That the Secretary inform the House of Representatives thereof. Whereupon the Senate adjourned. Transcribed from: ABRIDGEMENT OF THE DEBATES OF CONGRESS, from 1789 to 1856 From Gales and Seaton's annals of Congress, from their Register of debates; and from the official Reported debates, by John C. Rives Vol. XVI 1861 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/greene/obits/s/speight3019ob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ncfiles/ File size: 5.6 Kb