May 21, 1865: Jeremiah Clemens

 

 

A second cousin of Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain, Jeremiah Clemens led a colorful life that came to an end on May 21, 1865. Born in 1814 in Alabama, he became a lawyer and served in the Alabama House before enlisting as a volunteer during the Mexican War, rising to the rank of Colonel.  After the War he served in the United States Senate from 1849-1853.  He achieved fame as a novelist, writing Bernard Lyle in 1853 and Mustang Grey in 1857, the novels set during the Texan War for Independence and the Mexican War.  In 1859 he published The Rivals, a novelization of the Hamilton-Burr feud.