Thomas Dickens Arnold (May 3, 1798 – May 26, 1870) was an American politician who served two terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Tennessee's 2nd district from 1831 to 1833, and the 1st district from 1841 to 1843. Arnold, reportedly a slave owner, was pro-Union. A staunch opponent of Andrew Jackson, he spent his first term in Congress trying to thwart the Jackson Administration's agenda, and subsequently helped establish the Whig Party in Tennessee. He was twice gerrymandered out of office by Jackson's allies in the state legislature.
Described as "one of the most erratic politicians ever produced by East Tennessee," Arnold was remembered by his peers for his impassioned and unpredictable speeches, unwavering dedication to his positions, and ruthless use of wit and sarcasm. His attacks against Sam Houston in Congress provoked an assassination attempt from a Houston supporter in 1832. While Arnold provided vigorous opposition to Democrats such as Andrew Johnson, he frequently clashed with leaders of his own party, such as William "Parson" Brownlow and T.A.R. Nelson.
On the eve of the Civil War, Arnold remained solidly pro-Union. At the East Tennessee Convention, which met following Tennessee's secession from the Union in June 1861, Arnold advocated the separation of East Tennessee from the rest of the state, and called for the use of force if necessary. He remained openly defiant of the Confederacy for the duration of the war.
Early life
Arnold was born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, on May 3, 1798. He moved with his parents to Knox County, Tennessee, in 1808. At the age of fourteen, he enlisted as a drummer boy in the War of 1812. During the war, he became horrified when General Andrew Jackson ordered a soldier court-martialed and shot for straggling, and developed a negative view of Jackson that he would retain for the rest of his life. After the war, he taught school in Knox and Grainger counties. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1822, and commenced practice in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In the mid-1820s, Arnold was one of the few Tennessee politicians who opposed the initiatives of Jackson. In 1825, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress against Jackson ally and three-term 2nd district incumbent John Cocke, losing by a vote of 4,770 to 3,343. When he again ran for the seat in 1827, he circulated a pamphlet in the 2nd district that assailed Jackson's character, and rehashed an oft-repeated accusation that Jackson was an adulterer. He was narrowly defeated by the pro-Jackson candidate, Pryor Lea, 3,688 votes to 3,316. In 1828, Arnold endorsed John Quincy Adams for president.
In 1829, Arnold again opposed Lea for the 2nd district seat, and was again narrowly defeated, 4,713 votes to 4,496. Arnold charged Lea with voter fraud, alleging that bribery and perjury had occurred, and suggesting that pro-Jackson state election officials had "prostituted and trampled under foot" the state's election laws. The House Committee on Elections dismissed his claim, however, citing lack of evidence.
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.