| Birth: | Aug. 25, 1799
Davidson County
Tennessee, USA | | Death: | Jun. 26, 1871
Memphis
Shelby County
Tennessee, USA | 
US Diplomat, Politician. Named for his famous uncle, he grew up at the Hermitage after his father died in 1804. He graduated from West Point and was an aide-de-camp for Jackson during the Seminole War. Donalson went on to study law at Transylvania University and settled in Nashville. He married his cousin, Emily Tennessee Donalson, in 1823. Following Andrew Jackson's election to the Presidency in 1828, he served as Jackson's private secretary while his wife served as White House Hostess and First Lady. After his return to private life, President John Tyler appointed Donalson to negotiate the annexation of Texas. His success in this undertaking led to his appointment as Minister to Prussia from 1846 to 1849. In 1851 he became editor of a Democratic paper, the Washington Union, but left that position as the party moved more toward sectionalism. Donelson ran alongside Millard Fillmore as the "Know Nothing" Vice Presidential Candidate in 1856. When that party was defeated, his national political career ended. Donalson was strongly against secession, a stand which made him increasingly unpopular among some of his southern contemporaries. Following the war, public opinion and hard times forced him to sell his home and property near Nashville. He relocated to Memphis where he practiced law, keeping an interest in that town's local politics until his death. (bio by: Pat Iverson)
Family links:
Parents:
Mary Smith Sanders (1781 - 1857)
Spouses:
Emily Tennessee Donelson (1807 - 1836)
Elizabeth Glasglow Martin Randolph Donelson (1815 - 1871)
Children:
Mary Emily Donelson Wilcox (1829 - 1905)*
Rachel Jackson Donelson Eckford (1835 - 1888)*
*Calculated relationship
Search Amazon for Andrew Donelson
Inscription:
Soldier, Statesman, Christian, Gentleman
| | | Burial:
Elmwood Cemetery
Memphis
Shelby County
Tennessee, USA |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Pat Iverson
Record added: Jan 11, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 46567214 |
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