Charlton Hunt
American lawyer and politician (1801–1836)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charlton Hunt[a] (December 3, 1801 – December 27, 1836) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the first mayor of Lexington, Kentucky following its incorporation.
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 | December 3, 1801 |
| Died | December 27, 1836 (aged 35) |
| Spouse | Rebecca T. Warfield |
| Children | 7 |
| Relatives | John Wesley Hunt (father) Abraham Hunt (grandfather) John Hunt Morgan (nephew) Elisha Warfield (father-in-law) |
| Education | Transylvania University |
Biography
Charlton Hunt 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]
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]
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]