John L. Helm
John LaRue Helm was the 18th and 24th governor of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. He represented Hardin County in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was chosen to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives four times. In 1859 Helm resigned over of differences with the board of directors regarding a proposed branch that would extend the line to Memphis, Tennessee. Although he openly opposed secession during the American Civil War, federal military forces labeled Helm a Confederate sympathizer.
About John L. Helm in brief
John LaRue Helm was the 18th and 24th governor of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. He represented Hardin County in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was chosen to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives four times. In 1859 Helm resigned over of differences with the board of directors regarding a proposed branch that would extend the line to Memphis, Tennessee. Although he openly opposed secession during the American Civil War, federal military forces labeled Helm a Confederate sympathizer. In 1865 he was the state’s Democratic candidate for governor. He was too weak to travel to Frankfort for his inauguration, so state officials administered the oath of office at his home on September 3, 1867. He died five days later. His son Benjamin was a Confederate general at the Battle of Chickamauga in the Civil War and was killed at the age of 24. The Old Court of Appeals struck down the law claiming it was in violation of the Constitution of the United States. In 1780 Helm’s grandfather, Thomas Helm, emigrated to Kentucky from Prince William County, Virginia and founded the settlement of Helm Station near Elizabethtown, Kentucky in Hard in County, where John L. Helm was born on July 4, 1802. His father traveled to Texas to enter into business and rebuild his finances, but he died there in 1822, leaving Helm responsible for his mother and siblings. Helm attended the area’s public schools and studied with noted educator Duff Green.
His practice grew rapidly and he was soon able to pay off his father’s debts and purchase the Helm homestead. Between 1832 and 1840 he built “Helm Place” on this land and it remained his home for the rest of his life. After his service as governor Helm became president of the struggling Louisville and Nashville Railroad. He invested thousands of dollars of his own money in the project and convinced residents along the line’s main route to buy stock in the company. In 1823 Helm called on Representative Benjamin Hardin. While Hardin and Helm discussed business, Hardin’s 14-year-old daughter, Lucinda, entered the room to show her father a map she had drawn. Helm later claimed it was love at first sight, and began to pursue Lucinda’s courtship. They courted for seven years, married in 1830 and had six daughters and five sons. One of his sons, Benjamin Helm, was a general in the Confederate Army during the Civil war and died at Chickamamauga, Kentucky, in 1864. He also served as the Old-Newcastle County Prosecuting Attorney from 1838 to 1843. He served eleven one-year terms in the state house between 1826 and 1843 and was elected to the state senate, where he served continuously until he was chosen as the Whig Party nominee for lieutenant governor on a ticket with John J. Crittenden, famous for the Critt enden Compromise. In 1850 Helm was elevated to governor on July 31, 1850.
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This page is based on the article John L. Helm published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 04, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
