Hamilton Rowan Gamble (U)

Overview

At a Glance

• Stepped into vacuum created by departure of secessionist Gov. Claiborne Jackson
• Endorsed gradual emancipation of slaves
• Attempted unsuccessfully to reorganize state militia under his control

Personal History

Hamilton Rowan Gamble, the youngest son of Joseph and Anne Hamilton Gamble, was born in Winchester, Virginia, in 1798. He pursued his education at Hampden-Sidney College and earned licenses to practice law in Virginia, Tennessee, and Missouri by 1816. In 1818, he relocated to Howard County, Missouri, where his brother Archibald, serving as a clerk on the Missouri Circuit Court, appointed him as a deputy clerk. Gamble quickly established himself as a prominent attorney in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in land litigation cases. He married Caroline J. Coalter from Columbia, South Carolina, in 1827.

By 1863, the pressures of public office had begun to seriously affect Gamble's health. Throughout the war, he struggled with various illnesses and suffered a significant elbow injury after slipping on ice on the capitol steps. In his weakened condition, he contracted pneumonia and passed away less than a year later. Gamble was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Political History

Gamble increasingly aligned himself with the Whig Party and served one term in the state legislature by the mid-1840s. In 1851, he was appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court, but after four years, he resigned and entered a semi-retirement.

Shortly before the Civil War erupted in 1861, Gamble returned to Jefferson City, Missouri, at the urging of his brother-in-law, Attorney General Edward Bates, to run for a seat in the state convention regarding Missouri's potential secession from the Union. Recognizing Missouri's significance as a border state and its Southern sympathies, Gamble emerged as the leading pro-Union spokesman at the convention, delivering a compelling speech that swayed conditional Unionists to oppose secession. He was elected Chairman of the Committee on Federal Regulations, which solidified the Unionist stance by rejecting secession.

When war broke out in April 1861, Gamble identified the dangers posed by partisan politics and divided loyalties, and in early summer, he became the leader of moderate Unionists after Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson and his pro-Confederate allies fled Jefferson City. Appointed provisional governor in mid-July, Gamble devoted his three-year tenure to implementing conservative Unionist goals amid increasing challenges from Washington officials, military leaders, and Radical Republican opponents.

When the General Assembly convened in Jefferson City on December 29, 1862, the question of emancipating Missouri's slaves topped Gov. Gamble's agenda. He advocated for a gradual system of emancipation; however, he faced strong opposition from Radical Unionists who demanded an immediate end to slavery in the state. This disagreement thwarted any efforts to enact emancipation measures. By the summer of 1863, the Radical Union Party, led by Charles Daniel Drake, was gaining traction and influence, further complicating the political landscape.

Gov. Gamble’s relationship with the military was often fraught with tension, particularly during his clashes with General John Charles Fremont, who was appointed by President Lincoln to lead the Department of the West. Gamble sought to reorganize the militia under his direct oversight, but Fremont perceived this as a challenge to military authority. Ultimately, a compromise was reached between Gamble and the Lincoln administration when Fremont was replaced by Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis, easing the strain between civilian and military leadership.

Relations between the military and civilian authorities continued to deteriorate. Gov. Gamble viewed General Curtis's leadership as dictatorial, particularly after Curtis issued General Order No. 30 in 1863, which permitted military courts to impose death sentences on individuals suspected of treason. Eventually, President Lincoln transferred Curtis and appointed General John McAllister Schofield as his replacement. Schofield and Gamble were able to establish a cordial relationship.

However, shortly after Schofield took command, Gamble faced another setback. The Missouri Democrat published a letter from Lincoln to Schofield, warning him to avoid the factionalism that had led to Curtis's removal. Gamble interpreted the letter as a negative assessment of his abilities as governor. Upset by what he perceived as a personal attack, he initially wrote a letter of resignation but later decided to withdraw it.

Historical Significance

William Parrish summarized Gamble's importance to the state in his History of Missouri: Volume III, 1860 to 1875:

"The state stood much in debt to the departed leader. Although in the end he was too conservative for many Missourians, he had inherited an exceedingly difficult situation in 1861, and performed a highly creditable job in dealing with it. He was pushed by events rather than leading them as time went on. But he had followed his conscience, and, in the long run, his steady hand made possible a smooth transition of political power."