The Political Career of Landon Carter Haynes

Summary: During the ante-bellum period, Landon Carter Haynes was closely associated with the history of Tennessee. As a member of the General Assembly from 1845 to 1850, he proposed and supported legislation regarding internal improvements, humanitarianism, education, reduction of state expenditures and indebtedness, and the location of a branch of the Bank of Tennessee in each of the three divisions of the state.

One of Haynes' chief objectives both as a public servant and a private citizen was the establishment of adequate railway transportation. As a member of the state legislature, he fought for state aid for railroads. Even during his political retirement, he continued to promote railroads by public addresses. These railroads were important transportation facilities during the War Between the States because of the lack of available water transportation.

Politically, Haynes was a pro-southern Democrat who believed that Tennessee should co-operate with the South even if war were inevitable. His stand on states' rights earned him a seat in the Confederate Senate during the war. Besides participating in the activities of that legislative body, he worked to improve the military situation of Tennessee.

Regardless of his political achievements, Haynes' fame as an orator was deeply embedded in the next generation. Today, most Tennesseans have forgotten his political attainments but they remember him as an orator.