Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Kentucky’s 13th governor, James Clark, born in 1779, the 3rd governor to die in office, and the 1st Whig to run the state.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native John Cabell Breckinridge, born in 1821, the 14th Vice President alongside President James Buchanan. Only 36 at the time, Breckinridge remains the youngest V.P. in American history.
January 16, 1827, Kentucky created Anderson County from Franklin, Mercer, and Washington Counties. Legislators named it in honor of Richard Clough Anderson, Jr., a U.S. legislator. Lawrenceburg is the county seat. Other localities include Glensboro, Alton, Stringtown, and Tyrone. The 82nd county, Anderson County, covers 204 square miles.
Kentucky 1827
By David BenbennickJanuary 16, 1861, the Crittenden Compromise, the last chance to keep the North and South united, died in the U.S. Senate. Proposed by Senator John J. Crittenden of Versailles, the compromise consisted of constitutional amendments to alleviate all Southern states’ concerns. Four states had already left the Union when proposed. Still, Crittenden hoped the compromise would lure them back.
January 16, 1865, Oldham County native Richard James Oglesby became the Illinois governor for the 3rd time. The town of Oglesby, Illinois, is named in his honor.
On January 16, 1883, Texas inaugurated Hart County native John Ireland as their 18th governor. During his term, the University of Texas came into existence, and the Texas State Capitol began construction, where he picked the local pink granite as the structure’s material.
January 16, 1899, Tennessee inaugurated Monroe County native Benton McMillin as their 27th governor. He attempted to create a federal income tax as a congressman, which led to the landmark Supreme Court decision, Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co. (1895), which declared the federal income taxes unconstitutional.
January 16, 1902, the Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded Lexington $60,000 to build a new library.
Carnegie Center for Literacy and LearningOn January 16, 1907, in their season opener, Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky/State College/(UK) lost to Lexington Y.M.C.A. 17-25 in the State College Gymnasium. “The crowd was small but enthusiastic and was given numerous opportunities to applaud their favorite teams. The game was exciting and hotly contested from the very start, and at the end of the first half there was only one-point difference in the score,” from the Lexington Leader.
January 16, 1920, prohibition began.
January 16, 1928, Chief of Police Silas West, Somerset Police Department, died in a gun battle with a drunken man as he and another officer attempted an arrest. They shot the suspect eight times, and he also died.
January 16, 1932, Sheriff Noah J. Tipton, Rockcastle County Sheriff’s Office, died by a gunshot after confronting a Kentucky prison guard whom he had accused of providing insufficient security for a prisoner. The guard had brought the prisoner to the Rockcastle County Courthouse to testify against his brother in a bank fraud trial.
January 16, 1947, Paducah native Fate Marable passed away after a successful career as a jazz pianist and bandleader.
On January 16, 1954, Frank Ramsey (30) posed for a photo with Coach Adolph Rupp and teammates Cliff Hagan (6) and Lou Tsioropoulos (16). The 1953-54 Wildcats, during Ramsey’s senior season, finished the year 25-0.
January 16, 1971, Army CPT John M. Graham from Owensboro and Army SP4 Charles D. St. Clair from Coxs Creek in Nelson County died in the Vietnam War.
On January 16, 1974, the family-owned Berea Theatre showed Jesus Christ Superstar and then shut down after 60 years of projecting movies for the locals.
January 16, 1980, Burks’ Distillery in Marion County became a National Historic Landmark.
By William Gus JohnsonOn January 16, 1982, Florida Assistant State Attorney Eugene Berry answered his doorbell and died from a gunshot by Kentuckian Bonnie Kelley. Lexington native Henry Vance wanted Berry dead, so he supplied her with the gun and talked her into it. One of the many deaths directly related to the Bluegrass Conspiracy.
January 16, 1988, Harlan Hubbard died after he lived a simple life. Harlan’s realization that industrialism and consumerism threatened the environment and human survival changed his life forever. So did his marriage to Anna Eikenhout in 1943. “What Henry David Thoreau did for two years, Anna and Harlan Hubbard did for 40, except they did it in the 20th century,” said filmmaker Morgan Atkinson, who produced the 2012 documentary: Wonder: The Lives of Harlan and Anna Hubbard. “Anna and Harlan chose to live as few people in modern times have. In so doing, they inspired thousands.”
On January 16, 1989, Kentucky remembered Martin Luther King Jr., the 1st national holiday designated by Congress since Thanksgiving in 1941.
On January 16, 1991, President George H. W. Bush announced another one of his wars, called Operation Desert Storm—a military operation supposedly to expel occupying Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
On January 16, 1992, Owensboro native Senator Wendell Ford filed to run for his 4th senate term, saying it would probably be his last. It was, he resigned at the end of the term in 1999. He served 24 years, the longest serving Kentucky senator until Mitch surpassed him.
January 16, 1995, Kentucky remembered Martin Luther King Jr. At thirty-five, “Big Mike” became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
On January 16, 2017, Kentuckians celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The 30-foot granite sculpture of himself at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is called The Stone of Hope.
National Park Service PhotoJanuary 16, 2018, Governor M. Bevin proposed a two-year state budget that would eliminate “about 70” state government programs and cut spending at many state agencies by 6.25%. Bevin also wanted to end Kentucky’s expanded Medicaid program for 400,000 low-income citizens.
On January 16, 2021, the F.B.I. arrested Chad Barrett Jones,42, of Coxs Creek in Louisville, for breaking into the Speaker’s lobby, assaulting a federal officer, taking part in a civil disorder, destruction of government property, obstruction of an official proceeding, unlawfully entering a restricted building, and violent entry/disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
January 16, 2022, while 6” to 8” of snow covered many parts of Kentucky, Frankfort lawmakers revived Senate Bill 63 to block the release of information held in public records about lawmakers, judges, hearing officers, prosecutors, police, firefighters, 911 calls, and social workers. Governor A. Beshear vetoed a similar bill in 2021.
On January 16, 2023, Lexington and UK celebrated Martin Luther King Day for the 50th year. Lexington leaders say the city’s celebration is among the oldest and most comprehensive in the nation. In 1973, UK held a commemoration that included a candlelit walk through campus that ended at Memorial Hall.