John Hampden Pleasants
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Ann Elizabeth Irvine(m. 1818; died 1819)
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Mary Massie(m. 1829)
John Hampden Pleasants | |
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| Born | January 4, 1797 |
| Died | March 1, 1846 (aged 49) Virginia |
| Occupations | Journalist, businessman |
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| Children | 1 (with Mary Massie) |
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John Hampden Pleasants (January 4, 1797 – March 1, 1846) was an American journalist and businessman.[1] He is known as the editor and founder of the Richmond Whig, a daily newspaper that was later active during the Civil War. Pleasants died on March 1, 1846, after participating in a duel with Thomas Ritchie, who was the editor of a rival newspaper, the Richmond Enquirer.[2]
Pleasants was born on January 4, 1797, in Goochland County, Virginia, to James and Susanna Lawson Rose Pleasants.[3] He studied at the College of William and Mary for one session, after which point he began studying law. While Pleasants was able to open his own practice, his fear of public speaking and lack of conversational skills kept him from succeeding in the profession.[3] In 1820 Pleasants purchased interest in the Lynchburg Press and began serving as an editor. Four years later he founded the Richmond Whig.[3]
Pleasants married his cousin Ann Elizabeth Irvine in the spring of 1818, but their marriage was short lived as she died after only a year of marriage. This marriage produced no children. Ten years later in 1829 Pleasants married Mary Massie, with whom he had one child.[2]
