Presidents and the Media: Thomas Jefferson and James T. Callender
Benjamin Franklin Bache wasn't the only newspaper editor to attack the early Federalists. James Thomson Callender, a Scottish immigrant to the United States, was another journalist whose controversial attack journalism was a thorn in the side of Federalists, earning him a reputation as a "scandalmonger", due to the content of his reporting. Callender became a central figure in the press wars between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties and in the late 1790s, Thomas Jefferson sought him out to attack President John Adams. Callender did so willingly. But after Jefferson became President, Callender bit the hand that once fed him after being denied employment as a postmaster by Jefferson. It was Callender who first reported on Jefferson's alleged children born to his slave concubine Sally Hemings.
J. T. Callender was born in Scotland in 1758. He did not receive a formal education, and worked as a clerk in the Edinburgh Sasine (equivalent to Recorder of Deeds). While working there, Callender published satirical pamphlets criticizing the writer Samuel Johnson. He also wrote pamphlets attacking political corruption and calling for Scottish nationalism. This cost Callender his job in the Sasine office. In 1791 Callender wrote a pamphlet criticizing an excise tax. This earned support from reform-minded members of the Scottish nobility who became his patron. In 1792 he published The Political Progress of Britain, a controversial critique of the British government. This got him into trouble with the government and he had to leave for Ireland and then to the United States in order to avoid prosecution.
When he arrived in the United States, Callender obtained a position as a Congressional reporter in Philadelphia. His first article criticized pro-war sentiment. He supported himself by ghostwriting and became part of a group of radical Republican journalists who socialized together and held similar views on democracy and economic nationalism. He wrote a series of pamphlets in which he called for the government to support the poor by progressive taxation. He also called for economic independence from Europe, and the promotion of local industry. This earned him the enmity of Federalists, and as well as that of some of the more conservative Republicans.
Callender continued to write articles that attacked Federalist positions. He used a mix of logic, satire and personal invective. At first he limited his attacks to the excise tax system. But his attacks became personal as he railed against the nation's early national heroes and founding fathers: George Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton. He criticized both their policies and their personalities. In his pamphlet History of 1796, he published the story of how Alexander Hamilton was carrying on a sexual relationship with a married woman, Maria Reynolds, how Hamilton was being blackmailed over the affair, and accusing Hamilton of financial corruption. Callender presented compelling evidence of Hamilton's adultery. Later, in 1797, he wrote Sketches of the History of America, in which he told his readers that the affair was a distraction from Hamilton's greater offense: partnering with Reynolds' husband in corrupt financial dealings. Hamilton denied being a party to any improper financial dealings, but confessed to having the adultery. Although the financial charges were never proven, Hamilton never again held public office.
Callender did not hesitate to criticize the venerable George Washington He wrote of the first president, "If ever a nation was debauched by a man, the American nation has been debauched by Washington. If ever a nation has suffered from the improper influence of a man, the American nation has been deceived by Washington. Let his conduct then be an example to future ages. Let it serve to be a warning that no man may be an idol, and that a people may confide in themselves rather than in an individual."
He was equally mean-spirited in his criticism of John Adams. He referred to Adams as "a hideous hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman." He described the choice that voters had in the 1796 election as a choice "between Adams, war, and beggary, and Jefferson, peace, and competency!"
By 1798, Callender found himself mired in financial problems. He was forced to seek poor relief, and that year his wife died of yellow fever. That same year he was exposed as the anonymous publisher of the attacks on the Federalists. He was exposed as his by a rival pamphleteer, William Cobbet. This not only placed Callender in legal jeopardy, but in physical danger as well. He fled from Philadelphia to Virginia, leaving his children behind.
Thomas Jefferson then came to Callender's rescue. Jefferson liked Callender's attacks on Hamilton, and wanted to create an opposition press to that of the Federalists, one that was sympathetic to Jefferson and his party. He sought to use Callendar's poisoned pen against John Adams in the next election. Jefferson had met Callender in Philadelphia, and began supporting the editor financially with government contracts such as he was able to provide. He also provided feedback on early proofs of Callender's anti-Federalist pamphlet The Prospect Before Us. It was just at the time before the publication of the pamphlet, that Callender was required to flee on foot from Philadelphia to Virginia.
Callender lived for a time refuge at the plantation of Senator Stevens Thomas Mason. In Virginia, he completed The Prospect Before Us. The subject of this pamphlet was alleged political corruption among Federalists and within the Adams administration. In June 1800, in retaliation for The Prospect, Callender was prosecuted under the Sedition Act by the Adams administration. His trial was presided over by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase. (Chase was later impeached, in part due to his handling of the Callender trial.) Callender was fined $200 and given a jail term as well. He was released on the last day of the Adams administration, in March 1801. After his release, Callender and the others who had been prosecuted were pardoned by the new president, Thomas Jefferson.
One might have expected Callender to be grateful to his former benefactor, the man who had let him out of jail and pardoned him. But when Callender asked Jefferson to appoint him Postmaster of Richmond, Virginia, Jefferson refused to do so. Callender had warned the president that if Jefferson did not make the appointment, there would be consequences. Callender accused Jefferson of conspiring to deprive him of money owed to him by the government after the pardon. Jefferson's refusal to make the appointment because he believed that if he put the temperamental Callender in a position of authority in the Federalist stronghold of Richmond, it would have been a recipe for disaster.
Having been snubbed by Jefferon, Callender returned to newspaper work and changed teams, becoming the editor of a Federalist newspaper, the Richmond Recorder. In a series of articles on the subject of corruption, Callender criticized Jefferson. He revealed the fact that it was Jeffersonwho had funded his earlier pamphlets criticizing Hamilton and when Jefferson denied this, he published Jefferson's letters to him as proof of his claims. In response, Jeffersonian newspapers published articles claiming that Callender had abandoned his wife to die of a venereal disease. Callender retaliated with a series of articles in which he claimed that Jefferson fathered children by his slave Sally Hemings, something later proven to have credence many years later, following the science of DNA testing. Callender also accused Jefferson of attempting to seduce a married neighbor decades before.
Callender was supposed to appear as a witness to provide testimony in a New York trial, The People vs. Croswell. This was a libel allegation against publisher Harry Croswell, who had reprinted claims that Thomas Jefferson paid Callender to defame George Washington. Croswell's lawyer was Alexander Hamilton. President Jefferson had begun a selective campaign against individual newspaper critics. But the matter did not proceed to trial until after Callender's death.
Callender was popular among newspaper readers, but had enemies in both the Federalist camp as well as among Jefferson supporters. In a surprise attack in December 1802, George Hay clubbed Callender on the head with a walking stick. Hay had been Callender's lawyer at one time. The attack was payback for an article Callender had written about Hay. Then, the following March, the offices of Callender's newspaper were attacked by young Republicans from Hay's law firm.
On July 17, 1803, Callender drowned in three feet of water in the James River. He had fallen into the shallow edge of the river, but was too drunk to save himself from drowning.
In 1998, a DNA analysis confirmed that Eston Hemings Jefferson's descendants were related to the Jefferson male line. A number of historians including Joseph Ellis and Andrew Burstein, have made the case for concluding that Jefferson had a long-term relationship and several children by Sally Hemings. It seems that Callender's accusation had been on the mark. In 2000, the journalist and author William Safire published a historical novel, Scandalmonger, about Callender's life in the United States and based on letters of notable people of the time, including presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe.
J. T. Callender was born in Scotland in 1758. He did not receive a formal education, and worked as a clerk in the Edinburgh Sasine (equivalent to Recorder of Deeds). While working there, Callender published satirical pamphlets criticizing the writer Samuel Johnson. He also wrote pamphlets attacking political corruption and calling for Scottish nationalism. This cost Callender his job in the Sasine office. In 1791 Callender wrote a pamphlet criticizing an excise tax. This earned support from reform-minded members of the Scottish nobility who became his patron. In 1792 he published The Political Progress of Britain, a controversial critique of the British government. This got him into trouble with the government and he had to leave for Ireland and then to the United States in order to avoid prosecution.
When he arrived in the United States, Callender obtained a position as a Congressional reporter in Philadelphia. His first article criticized pro-war sentiment. He supported himself by ghostwriting and became part of a group of radical Republican journalists who socialized together and held similar views on democracy and economic nationalism. He wrote a series of pamphlets in which he called for the government to support the poor by progressive taxation. He also called for economic independence from Europe, and the promotion of local industry. This earned him the enmity of Federalists, and as well as that of some of the more conservative Republicans.
Callender continued to write articles that attacked Federalist positions. He used a mix of logic, satire and personal invective. At first he limited his attacks to the excise tax system. But his attacks became personal as he railed against the nation's early national heroes and founding fathers: George Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton. He criticized both their policies and their personalities. In his pamphlet History of 1796, he published the story of how Alexander Hamilton was carrying on a sexual relationship with a married woman, Maria Reynolds, how Hamilton was being blackmailed over the affair, and accusing Hamilton of financial corruption. Callender presented compelling evidence of Hamilton's adultery. Later, in 1797, he wrote Sketches of the History of America, in which he told his readers that the affair was a distraction from Hamilton's greater offense: partnering with Reynolds' husband in corrupt financial dealings. Hamilton denied being a party to any improper financial dealings, but confessed to having the adultery. Although the financial charges were never proven, Hamilton never again held public office.
Callender did not hesitate to criticize the venerable George Washington He wrote of the first president, "If ever a nation was debauched by a man, the American nation has been debauched by Washington. If ever a nation has suffered from the improper influence of a man, the American nation has been deceived by Washington. Let his conduct then be an example to future ages. Let it serve to be a warning that no man may be an idol, and that a people may confide in themselves rather than in an individual."
He was equally mean-spirited in his criticism of John Adams. He referred to Adams as "a hideous hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman." He described the choice that voters had in the 1796 election as a choice "between Adams, war, and beggary, and Jefferson, peace, and competency!"
By 1798, Callender found himself mired in financial problems. He was forced to seek poor relief, and that year his wife died of yellow fever. That same year he was exposed as the anonymous publisher of the attacks on the Federalists. He was exposed as his by a rival pamphleteer, William Cobbet. This not only placed Callender in legal jeopardy, but in physical danger as well. He fled from Philadelphia to Virginia, leaving his children behind.
Thomas Jefferson then came to Callender's rescue. Jefferson liked Callender's attacks on Hamilton, and wanted to create an opposition press to that of the Federalists, one that was sympathetic to Jefferson and his party. He sought to use Callendar's poisoned pen against John Adams in the next election. Jefferson had met Callender in Philadelphia, and began supporting the editor financially with government contracts such as he was able to provide. He also provided feedback on early proofs of Callender's anti-Federalist pamphlet The Prospect Before Us. It was just at the time before the publication of the pamphlet, that Callender was required to flee on foot from Philadelphia to Virginia.
Callender lived for a time refuge at the plantation of Senator Stevens Thomas Mason. In Virginia, he completed The Prospect Before Us. The subject of this pamphlet was alleged political corruption among Federalists and within the Adams administration. In June 1800, in retaliation for The Prospect, Callender was prosecuted under the Sedition Act by the Adams administration. His trial was presided over by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase. (Chase was later impeached, in part due to his handling of the Callender trial.) Callender was fined $200 and given a jail term as well. He was released on the last day of the Adams administration, in March 1801. After his release, Callender and the others who had been prosecuted were pardoned by the new president, Thomas Jefferson.
One might have expected Callender to be grateful to his former benefactor, the man who had let him out of jail and pardoned him. But when Callender asked Jefferson to appoint him Postmaster of Richmond, Virginia, Jefferson refused to do so. Callender had warned the president that if Jefferson did not make the appointment, there would be consequences. Callender accused Jefferson of conspiring to deprive him of money owed to him by the government after the pardon. Jefferson's refusal to make the appointment because he believed that if he put the temperamental Callender in a position of authority in the Federalist stronghold of Richmond, it would have been a recipe for disaster.
Having been snubbed by Jefferon, Callender returned to newspaper work and changed teams, becoming the editor of a Federalist newspaper, the Richmond Recorder. In a series of articles on the subject of corruption, Callender criticized Jefferson. He revealed the fact that it was Jeffersonwho had funded his earlier pamphlets criticizing Hamilton and when Jefferson denied this, he published Jefferson's letters to him as proof of his claims. In response, Jeffersonian newspapers published articles claiming that Callender had abandoned his wife to die of a venereal disease. Callender retaliated with a series of articles in which he claimed that Jefferson fathered children by his slave Sally Hemings, something later proven to have credence many years later, following the science of DNA testing. Callender also accused Jefferson of attempting to seduce a married neighbor decades before.
Callender was supposed to appear as a witness to provide testimony in a New York trial, The People vs. Croswell. This was a libel allegation against publisher Harry Croswell, who had reprinted claims that Thomas Jefferson paid Callender to defame George Washington. Croswell's lawyer was Alexander Hamilton. President Jefferson had begun a selective campaign against individual newspaper critics. But the matter did not proceed to trial until after Callender's death.
Callender was popular among newspaper readers, but had enemies in both the Federalist camp as well as among Jefferson supporters. In a surprise attack in December 1802, George Hay clubbed Callender on the head with a walking stick. Hay had been Callender's lawyer at one time. The attack was payback for an article Callender had written about Hay. Then, the following March, the offices of Callender's newspaper were attacked by young Republicans from Hay's law firm.
On July 17, 1803, Callender drowned in three feet of water in the James River. He had fallen into the shallow edge of the river, but was too drunk to save himself from drowning.
In 1998, a DNA analysis confirmed that Eston Hemings Jefferson's descendants were related to the Jefferson male line. A number of historians including Joseph Ellis and Andrew Burstein, have made the case for concluding that Jefferson had a long-term relationship and several children by Sally Hemings. It seems that Callender's accusation had been on the mark. In 2000, the journalist and author William Safire published a historical novel, Scandalmonger, about Callender's life in the United States and based on letters of notable people of the time, including presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe.