25833

Sen Thomas Hart Benton 1/6th Plate Daguerreotype Senator Thomas Hart Benton 1/6th Plate Daguerreotyp

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Photographic Images Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,500.00 USD
Sen Thomas Hart Benton 1/6th Plate Daguerreotype Senator Thomas Hart Benton 1/6th Plate Daguerreotyp
<B>Senator Thomas Hart Benton 1/6th Plate Daguerreotype</B></I> in a handsome velvet-lined case, probably taken in the mid 1840s. Born in North Carolina, Benton attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before moving to Tennessee to study law. He entered the army and was Andrew Jackson's <I>aide-de-camp</B></I> during the War of 1812. A personal quarrel with Old Hickory motivated Benton to move to Missouri in 1815. Colonel Benton, always an advocate of western expansion, helped create the system of homesteading, promoted a railroad to the Pacific, and favored trade with Mexico. Serving in the U.S. Senate between 1821 and 1851, Benton picked up his nickname "Old Bullion" when he urged the adoption of gold and silver currency (his portrait appeared on the U.S. $100 Gold Certificate from the 1880s until the 1920s). He was an early opponent to slavery and, because of his opposition to the Compromise of 1850, he lost his bid for a sixth term in 1850. He returned to Washington in 1853 as a congressman for one term. When his son-in-law, John C. Fremont, ran for president in 1856, Benton supported his opponent James Buchanan. This daguerreotype is in excellent condition with some minor scratches above the senator's head. The case has a full hinge and the clasp is present and functional. A research brief on the life of Benton will accompany this rare photo.