# Donelson Caffery

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American politician

Donelson Caffery United States Senator from Louisiana In office December 31, 1892 – March 3, 1901 Preceded by Randall L. Gibson Succeeded by Murphy J. Foster Personal details Born (1835-09-10)September 10, 1835 Franklin, Louisiana, U.S. Died December 30, 1906(1906-12-30) (aged 71) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Party Democratic Relations Patrick T. Caffery (grandson)

**Donelson Caffery** (September 10, 1835 – December 30, 1906) was an American [politician](/source/Politician) from the state of [Louisiana](/source/Louisiana), a soldier in the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War), and a sugar plantation owner.[1]

## Biography

Caffery was born in [Franklin](/source/Franklin%2C_Louisiana), [Louisiana](/source/Louisiana), the seat of [St. Mary Parish](/source/St._Mary_Parish%2C_Louisiana). His great-grandfather, Colonel [John Donelson](/source/John_Donelson), co-founder of the city of [Nashville](/source/Nashville), was the father-in-law of [President of the United States](/source/President_of_the_United_States) [Andrew Jackson](/source/Andrew_Jackson). During the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War), Caffery served in the [Confederate](/source/Confederate_States_of_America) army as a [lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant) in the [13th Louisiana Infantry Regiment](/source/13th_Louisiana_Infantry_Regiment). After the war, he became a [lawyer](/source/Lawyer) and owned a [sugar](/source/Sugar) plantation. He was elected to the [Louisiana State Senate](/source/Louisiana_State_Senate), he was a Democrat,[2] and in 1892, he was appointed to the [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate) from Louisiana to fill the unexpired term of [Randall L. Gibson](/source/Randall_L._Gibson) who died in office. Caffery began a full six-year term in 1894, on election by the [Louisiana State Legislature](/source/Louisiana_State_Legislature), and he served in the Senate until 1901.

He was a strong anti-imperialist and anti-expansionist, a position driven by his concern that new American possessions in tropical climates(like [Puerto Rico](/source/Puerto_Rico), [Hawaii](/source/Hawaii), and the [Philippines](/source/Philippines)) would harm his fellow Louisiana sugar planters by flooding the market with cheaper (and now tariff-free) sugar.[3][4]

He was the first nominee for President of the United States of the "Democratic National Party" at its [Indianapolis](/source/Indianapolis) Convention in 1900 but declined the nomination of this group.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] He declined to seek a second full term in 1900. The [a group of anti-imperialists](/source/American_Anti-Imperialist_League), meeting in [New York](/source/New_York_City) on 5 September 1900, also nominated Caffery for President and [Boston](/source/Boston) attorney and historian [Archibald M. Howe](/source/Archibald_M._Howe) for Vice President. Caffery, a staunch [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)), likewise refused this nomination, and Howe quickly withdrew as well.

Caffery served as chairman of the Senate Committee on enrolled bills from 1893 to 1894 and as chairman of the Senate Committee on corporations organized in the [District of Columbia](/source/District_of_Columbia) from 1899 to 1901.

After he left the Senate, Caffery resumed practicing law. He died in 1906 on December 30 in [New Orleans](/source/New_Orleans) Louisiana,[5] and is interred at Franklin Cemetery in his native Franklin.

Caffery's son, [Donelson Caffery, Jr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donelson_Caffery,_Jr.&action=edit&redlink=1), was the gubernatorial nominee of the "Lily-White" faction of the Republican Party in the [1900 Louisiana gubernatorial election](/source/1900_Louisiana_gubernatorial_election). He lost badly to [W. W. Heard](/source/W._W._Heard).

Caffery's grandson, [Patrick T. Caffery](/source/Patrick_T._Caffery), served one term in the Louisiana House of Representatives and two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1969–73.[6]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. ["Donelson Caffery Historical Marker"](http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/St.-Mary/Donelson+Caffery.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [*United States Congressional serial set*](https://books.google.com/books?id=hvM3AQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA42). 1906. pp. 1–.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Margolies2011_3-0)** Daniel S. Margolies (1 September 2011). [*Henry Watterson and the New South: The Politics of Empire, Free Trade, and Globalization*](https://books.google.com/books?id=hTk7xGOP66wC&pg=PT279). University Press of Kentucky. pp. 279–. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8131-3852-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8131-3852-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-arch_Anti_4-0)** E. Berkeley Tompkins (1970). [*Anti-imperialism in the United States: the great debate, 1890-1920*](https://archive.org/details/antiimperialismi0000tomp/page/110/mode/2up?q=caffery). Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780812275957](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780812275957). Retrieved 31 July 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [*Planter and Sugar Manufacturer*](https://books.google.com/books?id=YGVhuADzmMoC&pg=PA2). 1907. pp. 2–.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** See also [Jefferson Caffery](/source/Jefferson_Caffery), his cousin.

## External links

- United States Congress. ["Donelson Caffery (id: C000016)"](http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000016). *[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress](/source/Biographical_Directory_of_the_United_States_Congress)*. Retrieved on 2008-10-08

U.S. Senate Preceded by Randall L. Gibson U.S. senator (Class 2) from Louisiana 1892–1901 Served alongside: Edward D. White, Newton C. Blanchard, Samuel D. McEnery Succeeded by Murphy J. Foster

v t e United States senators from Louisiana Class 2 Destréhan Posey Brown Claiborne Johnson Bouligny Livingston Waggaman Nicholas Barrow Soulé Downs Benjamin Harris West Kellogg Gibson Caffery Foster Ransdell H. Long tenure R. M. Long Ellender Edwards J. B. Johnston Landrieu Cassidy Class 3 Magruder Fromentin Brown J. S. Johnston Porter Mouton Conrad Porter Johnson Soulé Slidell Kellogg Eustis Jonas Eustis White Blanchard McEnery Thornton R. Broussard Guion Gay E. Broussard Overton Feazel R. B. Long Breaux Vitter Kennedy

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States People US Congress Other Open Library SNAC Yale LUX

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