Vote for Klinck

On 7April1855, John G. Klinck tossed his hat into the political ring, running for Justice of the Peace for the sixth Civil District of Memphis. Unfortunately, neither the Shelby County Archives nor the Tennessee State Library and Archives could find evidence as to the outcome - nor on whether he had held the office previously. However, there is still a bit to learn from this tiny clipping.

First, it shows that John was still interested in the law, a profession he'd participated in during his early years in South Carolina. Second, and perhaps more telling of his character, it shows that John was a worker! Born in 1796, John was 59 years old in 1855. Sure, that's close to retirement age in 2012. But in 1855, when the life expectancy of a white male was about 40, it was practically ancient. It would seem that a strong work ethic and sense of civic duty ran strong.