Charlton Hunt

Charlton Hunt
Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky
In office January 12, 1832 – January 12, 1835
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	James E. Davis
Personal details
Born	(1801-12-03)December 3, 1801
Died	December 27, 1836(1836-12-27) (aged 35)
Spouse	Rebecca T. Warfield
Children	7
Relatives	John Wesley Hunt (father) John Hunt Morgan (nephew) Thomas Hunt Morgan (grandnephew) Elisha Warfield (father-in-law) Francis Scott Key (first cousin, once removed)
Education	Transylvania University

Charlton Hunt (December 3, 1801 – December 27, 1836) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the first mayor of Lexington, Kentucky following its incorporation.

Early life and education

Charlton Hunt[a] was born on December 3, 1801 to businessman John Wesley Hunt and his wife Catherine Grosh.[1][2] His maternal grandmother Mary Charlton was the maternal aunt of Francis Scott Key, writer of "The Star-Spangled Banner" making him his first cousin, once removed.[3] After Hunt graduated with a degree in classical studies at Transylvania University in June 1821, he moved to Frederick, Maryland where he studied law under future Chief Justice Roger B. Taney.[3][4] In 1824, he married Rebecca T. Warfield, a daughter of Elisha Warfield with whom he had seven children: Elisha, John, Mary, Katherine, Ann, Elizabeth and Rebecca.[3]

Career

Hunt returned to Kentucky in 1822 where he began practicing law in Paris, Kentucky before opening an office in Lexington, Kentucky.[4][3] In 1832, he was elected as the first mayor of Lexington following its incorporation, receiving almost 6,000 votes from residents.[5] Hunt was inducted on January 12, 1832 in a ceremony at the court house in which he received his oath from Judge T.M. Hickey, before he administered it himself to his fellow councilmen.[1] Hunt was reelected to two more one-year terms in 1833 and 1834 during which the city was hit by a major cholera epidemic and Hunt established the city's first public school, Morton High School named after its sponsor William Morton.[4][5] Hunt returned to his law practice in 1835 and was described as holding a "prominent position" in his law profession at the time of his death.[1]

Death and legacy

Hunt died of scarlet fever at the age of 35 on December 27, 1836 and was buried in Lexington Cemetery.[1][5] The Louisville Daily Journal wrote that Hunt was a "valuable member of society, and his death has thrown a deep gloom over Lexington".[5] Historian Robert Peter wrote he died as a "future full of promise was opening to him" and that "few men have been more beloved in Lexington."[1] Hunt's Row built in 1836 was named after him by the Lexington City Council.[6]

African American volunteer militia officer Charlton Hunt Tandy was named after him.[7] Hunt's nephew John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general in the American Civil War and his grandnephew Thomas Hunt Morgan was a biologist and Nobel Prize laureate.[8][9]

Notes

1. Also spelled Charleton Hunt.[1]

References

1. Peter 1979, p. 270.
2. Jackson et al. 2007, p. 58.
3. Johnson 1912, p. 1488.
4. Millard, Jamie (March 2, 2012). "Lexington's Colorful Mayors". Smiley Pete Publishing. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
5. Carey, Liz (January 14, 2025). "From 1832: Lexington voters, you now may choose your mayor and council members directly". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
6. Peter 1979, p. 271.
7. "Tandy, Charlton Hunt". Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA). University of Kentucky Libraries. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
8. Ramage 2014, p. 264.
9. Sturtevant, A. H. (1959). "Thomas Hunt Morgan" (PDF). National Academy of Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2025.

Sources

• Johnson, E. Polk (1912). A History of Kentucky and Kentuckians: The Leaders and Representative Men in Commerce, Industry and Modern Activities: Volume 3. Lewis Publishing Company.
• Peter, Robert (1979). History of Fayette County, Kentucky. Southern Historical Press. ISBN 9780893081638.
• Jackson, Andrew; Smith, Sam B.; Owsley, Harriet Chappell; Moser, Harold D. (2007). The Papers of Andrew Jackson, Volume 7: 1829. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 9781572335936.
• Ramage, James A. (2014). Rebel Raider: The Life of General John Hunt Morgan. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813146331.