Presidents and the Media: Andrew Jackson and Amos Kendall
Andrew Jackson was one of the earliest presidents not only to empower the common man, but to use his popularity with the common man as fuel for his political rise. Though perceived first and foremost for his qualities as a soldier, Jackson was much more of a deep thinker than often though of. He subscribed to at least 17 papers, and he understood the role of the changing media much better than his critics did. He personally involved himself in efforts to shape how he was covered in the press. For example, he once wrote a letter urging that a friendly, but alcoholic, newspaperman must be kept sober long enough to “scorch” one of Jackson’s political rivals.
Jackson included many newspaper editors among his advisers. He made sure they established a pro-Jackson newspaper in Washington when he took office. Perhaps his closest media advisor was a man named Amos Kendall, a Massachusetts born journalist who had once worked for Jackson's fiercest rival Henry Clay.
Kendall, who was born in 1789, had been a lawyer in Groton, Massachusetts, practicing with prominent local lawyer William M. Richardson. When the War of 1812 broke out, joined the local militia, but wasn't much of a soldier. He was said to faint at the sight of blood, and was unable to withstand long marches. A physician certified him as unable to perform his duties and a bout of pneumonia in June 1813 left him bedridden for three weeks.
In the fall of 1813, Kendall decided to leave Massachusetts and relocate to Washington, D.C. He arrived in the capitol on March 2, 1814. Richardson had been elected to the United States House of Representatives. He was hired by Kentucky Senator Jesse Bledsoe to tutor his children. He left Washington for Lexington, Kentucky, arriving on April 12. Bledsoe's family was not keen on Kendall as a tutor, but as luck would have it, ge was hired by Henry Clay's wife Lucretia to educate the Clay's seven children. Mrs. Clay offered Kendall room, board, use of her husband's extensive library, and $300 a year (nearly three times as much as Bledsoe had promised). He eagerly accepted the offer, but spent only a year teaching the Clay children. The Clay children were a handful, but Kendall was able to elicit improvement in their studies and behavior.
Kendall quit his employment with the Clays on April 29, 1814 and obtained his licence to practice law in Kentucky. On June 3, Kendall attended a Democratic-Republican meeting at the home of Representative (and future Vice-President) Richard Mentor Johnson. Johnson was impressed with Kendall's writing, and offered to sell him the local Democratic-Republican newspaper, the Georgetown Minerva. Kendall chose not to buy the paper, but agreed to become its editor-in-chief. It was at this time that Kendall nearly died from a sudden illness. Lucretia Clay learned of his illness and brought him to Ashland where she nursed him back to health.
In September 1815, Kendall agreed to purchase a half-interest in the Georgetown Minerva from Johnson. Johnson had sold $800 of Kendall's promissory note to his brother, James Johnson, who cancelled Kendall's debt, took possession of the Minerva, and agreed to let Kendall edit a new newspaper he was founding (the Georgetown Patriot).
Kendall continued in the newspaper business until 1829, when he was appointed fourth auditor of the United States Department of the Treasury. The following year, Jackson supporters purchased control of the Washington Globe newspaper in Washington, D.C. The newspaper became the house organ of the Jackson administration. Kendall brought Jackson's nephew, Francis Preston Blair, to Washington to be the paper's editor-in-chief.
Along with Duff Green, Isaac Hill, and William Berkeley Lewis, Kendall was a member of Jackson's Kitchen Cabinet. But Kendall possessed the strongest voice in the Kitchen Cabinet. He seemed to have more influence over Jackson than any other Cabinet official or Kitchen Cabinet member. Kendall took many of Jackson's ideas about government and national policy and turned them into polished, official government statements and newspaper articles. These were then published in the Globe and other newspapers. Kendall was able to enhancing Jackson's image and reputation from a country bumpkin with a quick temper, into a deep-thinking intellectual with a national vision. Kendall drafted most parts of Jackson's five annual messages to Congress, and his statement vetoing the renewal of the charter of the Second Bank of the United States in 1836.
Kendall was rewarded on May 1, 1835, when he was appointed U.S Postmaster General. While he worked to eliminate corruption in the Post Office Department, he also manipulated operations of the Post Office Department so that western newspapers were delivered faster and received better service than eastern ones. The ulterior motive in this was that western newspapers tended to be more pro-Jackson than the eastern ones. He also allowed gave permission postal officials in slave states to refuse to deliver abolitionist literature.
Kendall's health took a turn for the worse in 1840 and he resigned as Postmaster General effective May 18, 1840. One of Kendall's enemies was former President John Quincy Adams, who was a bitter foe of both Jackson and his successor, Martin Van Buren. Adams wrote in his diary in December 1840 that he believed both Jackson and Van Buren had been "for twelve years the tool of Amos Kendall, the ruling mind of their dominion."
Even though his health was poor, Kendall wrote extensively for the Washington Extra Globe newspaper in the summer and fall of 1840 in an unsuccessful effort to boost Van Buren's chances for re-election. After the government changed in 1840, Kendall was sued for some of the restrictions he had imposed, as Postmaster General. This hurt him financially, but he later recovered as a result of his decision to invest in Samuel Morse's new invention, the telegraph. Kendall lived to the age of 80, and died in November of 1869.
It appears that Jackson learned the power of the press after opposition papers attacked him during the 1828 election campaign for marrying his wife Rachel before her divorce had been finalized. The personal attacks likely contributed to Rachel Jackson's death in December of 1828, after the election but before Jackson's inauguration. Rachel died suddenly on December 22, 1828, and was buried on Christmas Eve. Jackson blamed the Adams campaigners for her death. "May God Almighty forgive her murderers", he swore at her funeral. "I never can."
Jackson included many newspaper editors among his advisers. He made sure they established a pro-Jackson newspaper in Washington when he took office. Perhaps his closest media advisor was a man named Amos Kendall, a Massachusetts born journalist who had once worked for Jackson's fiercest rival Henry Clay.
Kendall, who was born in 1789, had been a lawyer in Groton, Massachusetts, practicing with prominent local lawyer William M. Richardson. When the War of 1812 broke out, joined the local militia, but wasn't much of a soldier. He was said to faint at the sight of blood, and was unable to withstand long marches. A physician certified him as unable to perform his duties and a bout of pneumonia in June 1813 left him bedridden for three weeks.
In the fall of 1813, Kendall decided to leave Massachusetts and relocate to Washington, D.C. He arrived in the capitol on March 2, 1814. Richardson had been elected to the United States House of Representatives. He was hired by Kentucky Senator Jesse Bledsoe to tutor his children. He left Washington for Lexington, Kentucky, arriving on April 12. Bledsoe's family was not keen on Kendall as a tutor, but as luck would have it, ge was hired by Henry Clay's wife Lucretia to educate the Clay's seven children. Mrs. Clay offered Kendall room, board, use of her husband's extensive library, and $300 a year (nearly three times as much as Bledsoe had promised). He eagerly accepted the offer, but spent only a year teaching the Clay children. The Clay children were a handful, but Kendall was able to elicit improvement in their studies and behavior.
Kendall quit his employment with the Clays on April 29, 1814 and obtained his licence to practice law in Kentucky. On June 3, Kendall attended a Democratic-Republican meeting at the home of Representative (and future Vice-President) Richard Mentor Johnson. Johnson was impressed with Kendall's writing, and offered to sell him the local Democratic-Republican newspaper, the Georgetown Minerva. Kendall chose not to buy the paper, but agreed to become its editor-in-chief. It was at this time that Kendall nearly died from a sudden illness. Lucretia Clay learned of his illness and brought him to Ashland where she nursed him back to health.
In September 1815, Kendall agreed to purchase a half-interest in the Georgetown Minerva from Johnson. Johnson had sold $800 of Kendall's promissory note to his brother, James Johnson, who cancelled Kendall's debt, took possession of the Minerva, and agreed to let Kendall edit a new newspaper he was founding (the Georgetown Patriot).
Kendall continued in the newspaper business until 1829, when he was appointed fourth auditor of the United States Department of the Treasury. The following year, Jackson supporters purchased control of the Washington Globe newspaper in Washington, D.C. The newspaper became the house organ of the Jackson administration. Kendall brought Jackson's nephew, Francis Preston Blair, to Washington to be the paper's editor-in-chief.
Along with Duff Green, Isaac Hill, and William Berkeley Lewis, Kendall was a member of Jackson's Kitchen Cabinet. But Kendall possessed the strongest voice in the Kitchen Cabinet. He seemed to have more influence over Jackson than any other Cabinet official or Kitchen Cabinet member. Kendall took many of Jackson's ideas about government and national policy and turned them into polished, official government statements and newspaper articles. These were then published in the Globe and other newspapers. Kendall was able to enhancing Jackson's image and reputation from a country bumpkin with a quick temper, into a deep-thinking intellectual with a national vision. Kendall drafted most parts of Jackson's five annual messages to Congress, and his statement vetoing the renewal of the charter of the Second Bank of the United States in 1836.
Kendall was rewarded on May 1, 1835, when he was appointed U.S Postmaster General. While he worked to eliminate corruption in the Post Office Department, he also manipulated operations of the Post Office Department so that western newspapers were delivered faster and received better service than eastern ones. The ulterior motive in this was that western newspapers tended to be more pro-Jackson than the eastern ones. He also allowed gave permission postal officials in slave states to refuse to deliver abolitionist literature.
Kendall's health took a turn for the worse in 1840 and he resigned as Postmaster General effective May 18, 1840. One of Kendall's enemies was former President John Quincy Adams, who was a bitter foe of both Jackson and his successor, Martin Van Buren. Adams wrote in his diary in December 1840 that he believed both Jackson and Van Buren had been "for twelve years the tool of Amos Kendall, the ruling mind of their dominion."
Even though his health was poor, Kendall wrote extensively for the Washington Extra Globe newspaper in the summer and fall of 1840 in an unsuccessful effort to boost Van Buren's chances for re-election. After the government changed in 1840, Kendall was sued for some of the restrictions he had imposed, as Postmaster General. This hurt him financially, but he later recovered as a result of his decision to invest in Samuel Morse's new invention, the telegraph. Kendall lived to the age of 80, and died in November of 1869.
It appears that Jackson learned the power of the press after opposition papers attacked him during the 1828 election campaign for marrying his wife Rachel before her divorce had been finalized. The personal attacks likely contributed to Rachel Jackson's death in December of 1828, after the election but before Jackson's inauguration. Rachel died suddenly on December 22, 1828, and was buried on Christmas Eve. Jackson blamed the Adams campaigners for her death. "May God Almighty forgive her murderers", he swore at her funeral. "I never can."