Thomas Dickens Arnold - 1st Congressional Term

1st Congressional Term

By the early 1830s, many East Tennesseans had grown frustrated with Lea's opposition to federally-funded internal improvements, as the mountainous region's isolation was stalling its economic development. In 1831, Arnold was finally elected to Congress, edging Lea by a vote of 4,935 to 4,702.

During his first term in Congress, Arnold was the lone Anti-Jacksonite in the Tennessee delegation. He supported the national bank, an institution Jackson had long sought to eliminate, scoffing at the "obfuscated farragoes" of the bank's enemies, who had threatened him. He was the only Tennessee representative to vote against Congressman James K. Polk's bill calling for a sale of the government's stock in the bank, and was the only Tennessee representative to support a bill declaring the bank's deposits safe. He was also the only Tennessee representative to vote in favor of building a federal road connecting Buffalo and New Orleans, and the only Tennessee representative to vote against Jackson's Force Bill.

In 1832, Arnold blasted former Congressman Sam Houston, who had been found guilty of assaulting Congressman William Stanbery (an anti-Jacksonite), but had drawn only a reprimand for the attack. In May, a friend of Houston's, Morgan A. Heard, attacked Arnold as he descended the steps of the Capitol, initially attempting to club him with a large stick. After Arnold batted the stick away, Heard drew a sawed-off dueling pistol and fired one shot, grazing Arnold's shoulder. Arnold then proceeded to beat Heard with a sword cane, and was preparing to spear Heard with the cane when he was disarmed by Congressman Joseph Duncan, ending the melee.

Fed up with Arnold, Jackson's allies in the Tennessee General Assembly redrew Arnold's district, moving Jefferson and Cocke counties, where Arnold had his strongest support, to the 1st district. Undaunted, Arnold moved to Greeneville, in the 1st district, and challenged the 1st district incumbent, John Blair, in the 1833 election. In a three-way race that included William Blount Carter, Arnold placed third, winning just 1,747 votes to 3,236 for Blair and 2,642 for Carter. He ran for the 1st district seat in 1835 and 1837, but each time lost to Carter.

In 1836, Arnold was elected brigadier general of the Tennessee militia, and was thus frequently referred to as "General Arnold" by his contemporaries.