Eaton John

Born in , Halifax County , North Carolina , attended public school, then studied at the University of North Carolina. His first wife, Myra Lewis, died in 1818, when he was 28 years old. Eaton was a lawyer and member of the US Democratic Party , served in the U.S. Army during the 1812 war, and was a member of the from 1815 to 1816.

Eaton married his second wife, (better known as Peggy Eaton), a long-time friend and recently widowed, in 1829, years after meeting her and her husband in Washington , DC.

In 1818, he was elected Senator from Tennessee and held this position until 1829. His assumption of the post of senator at the age of 28 is noteworthy in that it contradicted the requirements of the US Constitution that all senators must be older than 30 years.

Eaton was a close friend of Andrew Jackson. After Jackson became president of the United States , Eaton and the postmaster general of the United States, became members of Jackson’s cabinet and were also members of his informal advisory circle. Jackson’s detractors called them “Kitchen Cabinet” (apparently, because the Kitchen Cabinet ) (apparently because this group, in fact, was often found in the White House kitchen).

Eaton left his seat in the Senate in 1829 due to public scandal and was appointed US Secretary of War Jackson from 1829 to 1831. The venerable ladies of the Washington secular circle, led by , the wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun , scornfully spoke in the direction of Peggy Eaton because of her imminent marriage, after the death of her husband, and because of rumors that they had romantic relationship before their marriage. Rumors entered the office while the wives began to participate from the opposition. Jackson was furious that his friend’s wife was despised. The dispute, known as , indirectly contributed to the political growth of Martin Van Buren , a member of Jackson’s cabinet who supported Etonov.

After the persuasion of Martin Van Buren, Eaton resigned as Minister of War on June 18, 1831. He later served as governor of Florida from 1834 to 1836, and also as from 1836 to 1840.

Eton, a freemason , died in Washington on November 17, 1856. He is buried in .

Eaton County in Michigan is named after John Eaton ^[1] .

• Eaton, John in the Biographical Directory of the US Congress
• Youngest Senator in history