William C. Price
Encyclopedia
William Cecil Price was a United States
lawyer
and judge
who was active in the proslavery faction of the Missouri Democratic Party
from the 1840s on, and who served as Treasurer of the United States
from 1860 to 1861.
in 1816. He was double cousin of Sterling Price
. A farmer, William Price moved to Greene County, Missouri
in 1836. He then attended Knoxville College
before returning to Missouri
to work as a teacher and store clerk and to read law. He became Deputy Sheriff
of Greene County in 1840. In 1841, he took an administrative position with the Greene County court. He was admitted to the bar in 1844. In 1847, he was elected as a probate
judge
with the Greene County court.
Price was active in the proslavery wing of the Missouri Democratic Party
. Price claimed that he had originated the idea that the Missouri Compromise
must be repealed. In 1844, he traveled through Missouri, warning slaveholders of the dangers to their situation if the Missouri Compromise were not repealed. Price was a supporter of the leader of the Missouri pro-slavery Democrats, Claiborne Fox Jackson
, and opposed the Bentonite
faction of the Missouri Democratic Party. Price was the author of the so-called "Jackson Resolutions" that Claiborne Fox Johnson introduced in the Missouri General Assembly
in December 1848. The Jackson Resolutions declared that the actions of the Northern states had released the slaveholding states from any obligation to comply with the terms of the Missouri Compromise; that the people in any of the Territories of the United States had the right to determine for themselves if they would permit slavery; and that any Act of Congress
conflicting with the Jackson Resolutions would require the slaveholding states to band together to protect themselves against northern aggression.
During the period when the Compromise of 1850
was being discussed, Price met in New Orleans with Jefferson Davis
, Judah P. Benjamin
, and Robert Toombs
. At this meeting, these pro-slavery Democrats concluded that if slavery were not expanded westward, conflict with the North and the secession of the South was inevitable.
Price was elected to the Missouri Senate
in 1854. He resigned in 1857 when he was appointed as a judge of the circuit court
. In 1859, Governor of Missouri Samuel Medary
appointed Price to represent Missouri in discussions with the General Land Office
about the use of swamp and overflowed lands.
In 1860, President of the United States
James Buchanan
named Price Treasurer of the United States
, an office Price held from February 28, 1860 to March 21, 1861.
With the outbreak of the American Civil War
, Price joined Missouri's confederate
brigade
, under the command of his cousin, Sterling Price
. He was taken prisoner by Union
forces at the Battle of Pea Ridge
(March 6–8, 1862) and was imprisoned at Alton, Illinois
for eight months. He was then exchanged for a Union prisoner held by the Confederacy at Vicksburg, Mississippi
. Confederate President Jefferson Davis then assigned him as a recruiting officer in Missouri with the rank of Major.
Price resigned in 1864 and moved to Arkansas
in an attempt to rebuild his finances as a farmer. After the war, he returned to Missouri, practicing law first at St. Louis, Missouri
, later at Springfield, Missouri
.
A longtime member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
, Price became increasingly interested in theological topics in his later years. He has been described as a "religious fanatic."
Price died in 1901.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
who was active in the proslavery faction of the Missouri Democratic Party
Missouri Democratic Party
The Missouri Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Missouri. The party Chairwoman is Susan Montee, a former state auditor, who was given the position in December 2010.-Past political strength:...
from the 1840s on, and who served as Treasurer of the United States
Treasurer of the United States
The Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
from 1860 to 1861.
Biography
William C. Price was born in Russell County, VirginiaRussell County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,308 people, 11,789 households, and 8,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile . There were 13,191 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
in 1816. He was double cousin of Sterling Price
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
. A farmer, William Price moved to Greene County, Missouri
Greene County, Missouri
Greene County is a county located in Southwest Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 275,174 making it the fourth most populated county in Missouri. Its county seat is Springfield...
in 1836. He then attended Knoxville College
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
before returning to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to work as a teacher and store clerk and to read law. He became Deputy Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Greene County in 1840. In 1841, he took an administrative position with the Greene County court. He was admitted to the bar in 1844. In 1847, he was elected as a probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
with the Greene County court.
Price was active in the proslavery wing of the Missouri Democratic Party
Missouri Democratic Party
The Missouri Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Missouri. The party Chairwoman is Susan Montee, a former state auditor, who was given the position in December 2010.-Past political strength:...
. Price claimed that he had originated the idea that the Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
must be repealed. In 1844, he traveled through Missouri, warning slaveholders of the dangers to their situation if the Missouri Compromise were not repealed. Price was a supporter of the leader of the Missouri pro-slavery Democrats, Claiborne Fox Jackson
Claiborne Fox Jackson
Claiborne Fox Jackson was a lawyer, soldier, and Democratic politician from Missouri. He was the 15th Governor of Missouri in 1861, then governor-in-exile for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, and opposed the Bentonite
Thomas Hart Benton (senator)
Thomas Hart Benton , nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms...
faction of the Missouri Democratic Party. Price was the author of the so-called "Jackson Resolutions" that Claiborne Fox Johnson introduced in the Missouri General Assembly
Missouri General Assembly
The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Senate, and a 163-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the General Assembly are subject to term limits...
in December 1848. The Jackson Resolutions declared that the actions of the Northern states had released the slaveholding states from any obligation to comply with the terms of the Missouri Compromise; that the people in any of the Territories of the United States had the right to determine for themselves if they would permit slavery; and that any Act of Congress
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
conflicting with the Jackson Resolutions would require the slaveholding states to band together to protect themselves against northern aggression.
During the period when the Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
was being discussed, Price met in New Orleans with Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
, Judah P. Benjamin
Judah P. Benjamin
Judah Philip Benjamin was an American politician and lawyer. Born a British subject in the West Indies, he moved to the United States with his parents and became a citizen. He later became a citizen of the Confederate States of America. After the collapse of the Confederacy, Benjamin moved to...
, and Robert Toombs
Robert Toombs
Robert Augustus Toombs was an American political leader, United States Senator from Georgia, 1st Secretary of State of the Confederacy, and a Confederate general in the Civil War.-Early life:...
. At this meeting, these pro-slavery Democrats concluded that if slavery were not expanded westward, conflict with the North and the secession of the South was inevitable.
Price was elected to the Missouri Senate
Missouri Senate
The Missouri State Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 160,000...
in 1854. He resigned in 1857 when he was appointed as a judge of the circuit court
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
. In 1859, Governor of Missouri Samuel Medary
Samuel Medary
Samuel Medary Born and raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, he settled in Ohio in 1825. After a term in the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio State Senate as a Jackson Democrat, he purchased a newspaper in Columbus that became the Ohio Statesman, which he edited until 1857...
appointed Price to represent Missouri in discussions with the General Land Office
General Land Office
The General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury...
about the use of swamp and overflowed lands.
In 1860, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
named Price Treasurer of the United States
Treasurer of the United States
The Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
, an office Price held from February 28, 1860 to March 21, 1861.
With the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Price joined Missouri's confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
, under the command of his cousin, Sterling Price
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
. He was taken prisoner by Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
forces at the Battle of Pea Ridge
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge was a land battle of the American Civil War, fought on March 6–8, 1862, at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas, near Garfield. In the battle, Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn. The outcome of the...
(March 6–8, 1862) and was imprisoned at Alton, Illinois
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
for eight months. He was then exchanged for a Union prisoner held by the Confederacy at Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
. Confederate President Jefferson Davis then assigned him as a recruiting officer in Missouri with the rank of Major.
Price resigned in 1864 and moved to Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
in an attempt to rebuild his finances as a farmer. After the war, he returned to Missouri, practicing law first at St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, later at Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
.
A longtime member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
, Price became increasingly interested in theological topics in his later years. He has been described as a "religious fanatic."
Price died in 1901.