John T. Coffee facts for kids

John Trousdale Coffee (born December 14, 1816 – died May 23, 1890) was an important politician from Missouri. He served in the state's government, first in the Senate and then in the House of Representatives. He even became the Speaker of the House from 1856 to 1858. During the American Civil War, he was an officer for the Confederate side in Missouri. After the war, he moved to Texas and continued his work as a lawyer. He had a very large family.

Early Life and Education

John Coffee was born in Smith County, Tennessee. He learned law by himself and became a lawyer. In 1842, he moved to Springfield, Missouri. This move happened after his father and his first wife passed away.

Family Life

John Coffee had a large family. He married four times during his life. He had a total of thirteen children with his wives. After the Civil War, he moved his family to Waco, Texas, and later to Georgetown, Texas.

Political and Military Career

John Coffee worked as a lawyer in towns like Springfield and Bolivar, Missouri.

Serving in the Military

When the Mexican–American War began (1846–1848), Coffee gathered a group of soldiers. However, the war ended before his unit could join the fighting.

Becoming a Politician

In 1849, Coffee returned to Missouri. He was elected as the circuit attorney for Dade County. He lived in a town called Greenfield.

In 1854, he was elected to the Missouri State Senate. He left this job in 1855 to become a Captain in the U.S. Army. He served at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. After only four months, he resigned because he became ill. He then went back to Greenfield.

In 1856, Coffee spoke about "squatter sovereignty." This idea suggested that people from Missouri should be allowed to claim land in Kansas. They could then vote on whether Kansas would allow slavery. This was part of the "Bleeding Kansas" conflict, a time when there was a lot of violence over slavery in Kansas. In 1857, he also helped publish a local newspaper.

In 1858, Coffee tried to get back into the Missouri Senate but did not win. Instead, he ran for the Missouri House of Representatives. He won and was elected as the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives in his very first term. In 1860, he lost another election and returned to practicing law.

Role in the Civil War

When the American Civil War started, John Coffee formed a group of soldiers in Dade County. He became a colonel in the Confederate States Army. After Confederate General Sterling Price left Missouri, Coffee stayed behind. He often fought against Union troops in small battles, especially around Neosho, Missouri. One famous battle he was involved in was the Battle of Lone Jack.

On August 12, 1863, Coffee's troops faced heavy losses from Union soldiers near Pineville. In October 1863, Coffee's troops captured the Union soldiers in his hometown of Greenfield. They burned the courthouse, which unfortunately destroyed his own land records. This caused him to lose his land in Missouri.

After the Pineville conflict, another officer, General Joseph O. Shelby, was given command of the Missouri forces. Coffee then went to Arkansas. He tried to gather a new group of soldiers there but was not successful. In late 1864 or early 1865, he moved his large family to Waco, Texas.

Life After the Civil War

After the Confederates surrendered, General Shelby asked Coffee to continue fighting in Mexico. However, Coffee refused. He officially surrendered to General George Armstrong Custer on July 26, 1865, in Austin, Texas.

John Trousdale Coffee passed away in Georgetown, Texas.