Vernon Henry Vaughan (b. February 11, 1838; d. December 4, 1878)
Alabama. White.
Education: A.B. (University of North Carolina)
Occupation: governor, planter, professor, miner, law student,
Vernon H. Vaughan was born in Mount Meigs, Alabama to Patrick Henry and Mary Ann Elizabeth Maynard Vaughan in 1838. Little is known about his parents or his early life. In fall 1854, Vernon was appointed as a student (then called an "acting midshipman") at the U.S. Naval Academy. He attended the Academy for at least two years, although he does not appear to have graduated.
By 1857, Vernon was living in Montgomery County. That spring he entered the University of Alabama. He entered a sophomore but left at the end of the year to attend the University of North Carolina.
Vernon attended the UNC from fall 1858 until he graduated in spring 1860. While a student, he gave a declamation at a June 2, 1859 commencement ceremony. He delivered the speech "Regulus to the Roman Senate" by Sargent. He was also a member of the Dialectic Society (one of two campus literary societies) and served as an editor for the campus University Magazine.
Less than a year after he graduated, the Civil War broke out. Vernon enlisted in the Confederate army. He first served as a private in the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment under Colonel James H. Clanton. Later during the war, he served as an adjutant.
It is unclear what Vernon did immediately after the war, although he had returned to Alabama by the late 1860s. Despite his military service, he became supportive of the Republican Reconstruction government. One (hostile) newspaper article reported that, in the summer of 1868, he became active in the Loyal (or Union) Leagues and gave speeches at League meeting. Through this activity, he got to know Republican politicians John C. Keffer, Robert Barber, and Mark Brainard.
In December 1868, Vernon was elected as the University of Alabama's professor history, logic, and metaphysics. Almost immediately, he began receiving withering criticism from the Independent Monitor newspaper. The newspaper editor, Ryland Randolph, had a deep hatred of him that dated back to their mutual service in the 1st Alabama Cavalry. Indicative of the language used was one article which called him "an ignoramus, an upstart, a drunkard, and a fool." Ryland also accused Vernon of beating his wife.
In one newspaper article, Ryland mocked Vernon for traveling around Tuscaloosa with a shot-gun and three guard dogs for protection, going so far as to publish a wood print cartoon of him. However, Vernon certainly had ample reason to arm himself. Ryland was the leader of a sixty-some band of Ku Klux Klan members. The Ku Kluxers committed acts of violence and frequently threatened university students and faculty.
Tensions between Ryland and Vernon exploded on the morning of April 1, 1870 when a gunfight broke out between Ryland, Vernon, and a university student, William A. Smith. Like Vernon, William had good reason to be angry with Ryland as he was the nephew of former governor William Hugh Smith and the son of university regent Gustavus A. Smith, both of whom had been subject to abusive insults by Ryland.
By all accounts, the the fight had been planned, although accounts differ as to who planned it. One account describes Ryland as the instigator. In March, Vernon had published a letter in the Alabama State Journal that was critical of Ryland. Upset over the letter, upon hearing that Vernon was in town, Ryland supposedly armed himself with a revolver and knife and waited outside C. M. Foster's store (on the corner of Broad Street) for Vernon to show up. Other accounts, including one given by Ryland, describe Vernon as the instigator: he and William had armed themselves and were planning to attack Ryland when an opportunity presented itself.
Whoever planned the attack, by all accounts, conflict broke out when William passed Ryland standing in front of C. M. Foster's store and brushed against him. Ryland responded by striking him with his fist, and the two then drew their pistols and fired at each other. After he emptied his pistol, Ryland drew a knife and advanced on William. However, William carried a second pistol, and he shot Ryland, severely injuring him. During the exchange, one of the two accidentally shot and killed a bystander, William H. Byrd.
During the fight, Vernon was watching from the other side of the street. He was armed with the very shot-gun that Ryland had ridiculed him for carrying, but he chose to use it.
After Ryland was wounded, both William and Vernon fled to Vernon's home on the university campus. There they were found by a posse organized by the sheriff and arrested. Both spent a month in jail, and during that time, they and their families were threatened by Ku Kluxers. Ultimately, Vernon was discharged, and he immediately fled the area.
After leaving the university, he was able to receive a political appointment in Salt Lake City, Utah, then a U.S. Territory. In July, he was first appointed as the territory's secretary of state, filling left vacancy created by the death of the previous officeholder. While Vernon was serving in that role, the governor of the territory died suddenly, and Vernon was appointed in his place. He served from October 31, 1870 to February 1, 1871.
Vernon's life became less dramatic after stepping down from the governorship. He worked as a planter, a miner, and a lawyer. He died in December 1878 while living in northern California.
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| A satirical wood print of Vernon H. Vaughan |
Sources
1) Year: 1860; Census Place: District 1, Montgomery, Alabama; Roll: M653_19; Page: 173; Family History Library Film: 803019
2) Year: 1870; Census Place: Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Roll: M593_43; Page: 398A
3) Weekly national intelligencer. [volume], October 07, 1854, p. 6.
4) "Commencement at Chapel Hill." Weekly North Carolina standard, June 09, 1858, p. 3.
5) Weekly standard. [volume], June 08, 1859, Image 3
6) Evening star. [volume], July 11, 1870, Image 1
7) Memphis daily appeal. [volume], July 28, 1870, Image 1
