Patrick Treadwell

John Patrick Treadwell Jr., better known as Patrick Treadwell, (September 26, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1821 to 1829. Treadwell previously served as vice president of the United States under Andrew Jackson, Secretary of State under James Fenner, and a member and Speaker of the House of Representatives from Maryland.

Born in Annapolis, Maryland, Treadwell's father and older brother died during the American Revolution, leaving Treadwell with his widowed mother and two younger brothers. He went to the College of William & Mary in 1785, and two years later married a fellow classmate, Lauren Todd. They had a secret divorce in 1789, but not before having a child, Samuel James, in 1788. During this time, he wrote letters in favor of the Constitution as "Argus Hatchet" between 1787 and 1791. In 1794, Treadwell would become acquainted with a Methodist preacher, of whom would give him political advice, but that same year was forced from the public eye following a duel with his ex-wife's new husband (who was fatally wounded).

In 1802, Treadwell ran in a special election for Maryland's House district and won unanimously. He would be nominated Speaker and win by a plurality in 1805, but ultimately only served for one term before being booted from office in a three-way contest. He continued to serve in the House of Representatives, creating the Democratic Party alongside Andrew Jackson and Richard Fallon, the 1808 nominee. Despite his support of Fallon, he was defeated by Whig candidate George Clymer, but as a deal, Democratic Senator James Fenner was made Vice President. During this time, Treadwell was horribly wounded in the Battle of Detroit around February 1811, losing his leg.

Clymer died in 1811, and Fenner was quick to nominate Treadwell to the office of Secretary of State, where he made peace alongside Fenner with the British in 1812. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in the 1812 presidential election, where the Jackson/Treadwell ticket won in a landslide over the Whigs, who died shortly thereafter. As Vice President, he did much to improve the power in the office, and served valiantly as President of the Senate. In 1816, Jackson and Treadwell won a unanimous re-election, and began the Era of Good Feelings. As Vice President, Treadwell was granted an easy victory at the 1820 Democratic convention, but a disgruntled former President James Fenner stole votes from him and ran as a Constitutional Unionist.

Despite this, Treadwell won in a landslide. Treadwell's first term was incredibly underwhelming. The assassination of Andrew Jackson and the Panic of 1822 tormented him in the earliest years of his Presidency. He suffered failures in western expansion, lost the state of Oregon to the British, and nearly fell into a war with Mexican forces following the deployment of armed troops led by George Harrison in California. He suffered his most difficult election challenge in 1822, where the newly formed Republicans took a majority in both Congressional chambers. In 1823, he began to see success, taking Oregon back with help from James K. Polk, his Secretary of State, and narrowly achieved victory in a five-way election in 1824 against Republican John C. Melbourne, Independents, and an abolitionist.

Success continued onward, with Treadwell successfully negotiating peace with the British and Mexicans through 1825 and 1826. He commemorated national monuments and parks and led several compromises on slavery and nativism. He would slowly eliminate political enemies and finished his second term with vigor and at his most popular. Despite this, he would be defeated in the 1828 convention by William Henry Harrison, who lost a close election to his 1824 opponent, John C. Melbourne. Following his loss, Treadwell retired to Annapolis Mountains Manor, where he would live until his death in 1845.

Family, birth, and childhood (1767-1781)
The Treadwell family immigrated from the Greenwich and Yorkshire regions, led by James Treadwell (b. 1632, d. 1696). The family settled between southern Virginia and northern Delaware, but a few settled in the Annapolis region, including John Treadwell and his wife Eliza Bethany.

John Patrick Treadwell was born on September 26, 1767, in a log cabin in Annapolis, Maryland. He had three brothers, the eldest being Oliver (b. 1759) and two younger brothers, Paul (b. 1771) and Jacob (b. 1773). The father, John Treadwell, (b. 1739, d. 1780) was a planter and businessman of relatively modest means, while his wife, Eliza Bethany Treadwell (b. 1738, d. 1814) was a tailor and designed wedding dresses. Together, they built a two room log cabin, where they had their children. John Treadwell would die during the Saratoga campaign in 1778, and Oliver would die during the Battle of Camden.

Patrick's childhood and education were apparently rather well for the standards of the time. He attended school until seventh grade and learned various trades throughout, including trigonometry, philosophy, and law. He excelled in his classes, famously writing a letter at 14 (in 1781) to the Annapolis Ledger under the pseudonym "Argus Hatchet," unveiling his preferences and personal doctrines to be included in the upcoming Treaty of Paris and having a few gain widespread support. He would utilize the pseudonym various times during his life.

Treadwell grew to become an imposing man, standing 6 feet, 5 inches (1.95 meters), and weighing about 200 pounds (91 kg). Surprisingly, his growth was apparently inherited from his family, as his grandfather, Peter Treadwell (b. 1697, d. 1751), was said to be about six and a half feet tall (1.98 meters).

Argus Hatchet letters, college years, and rise to fame (1781-1802)
Rebounding off the resounding success of his first Argus Hatchet letter, Treadwell would go on to write seventeen letters under the pseudonym between 1781 and 1794. His letters talked about various things, including:


 * The Treaty of Paris and other peacetime regulations with the British (Letters 1-3)
 * Anti-Federalist ideals and the pros and cons of each belief (Letters 4-5, 17)
 * The positives of the Constitution, support of the Federalist Papers, and the need for a Bill of Rights (Letters 6-11, 14-16)
 * Benefits of peace with the French and adopting a republican government (Letter 12)
 * The pros and cons of nationalizing industries and the debt (Letter 17)

The identify of Argus Hatchet was revealed in 1788, but four more Hatchet letters would be released throughout 1789 to 1794, culminating with a protest of nationalization that was published in February 1794. After this, no more Argus Hatchet letters would be released. However, it is believed that up to twenty-five or thirty different Argus Hatchet letters remained unpublished, some verging as late as 1810, and others as early as 1782.

Treadwell attended the College of William & Mary and majored in political science, graduating as part of the class of 1789. He then attended Harvard Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctorate as a part of the class of 1793. He returned to Annapolis, and befriended James Laker, a Methodist preacher, who reinforced his political and religious beliefs. Later on, he would be challenged to a duel in March 1794 by an old friend, Arnold Lawter, of whom had been insulted by the "heinous Crimes and deceitfulness" of Treadwell during his past marriage. On July 2, 1794, Treadwell fatally wounded the man with a shot in the heart, and would go into a state of hiding as a result of the shame that it brought upon him.

After a hiatus, Treadwell returned to politics as editor of the Annapolis Ledger in 1796 after a brief stint from 1788 to 1792. He would continue to write letters, this time under his own name, where he turned the Ledger into a work of anti-Federalist, pro-republican news. He famously interviewed George Washington on Christmas Day 1789 previously, but now as an editor, he interviewed Republican icons of the time including George Clinton and Aaron Burr. In 1796, the Ledger endorsed Aaron Burr for President. Despite this, Burr would ultimately lose. In 1800 and 1804, however, the Ledger endorsed Thomas Jefferson.

The election of 1802
In the 1802 midterm elections, Democratic-Republicans won major gains in both chambers of Congress, gaining 35 House seats and 5 Senate seats. In December, the incumbent Federalist, Daniel Hopkins, resigned as Representative of Maryland's at-large district in order to run for Senate, and thus left room in January 1803 for a special election. In an upset victory, Treadwell upended Hopkins' chosen successor, Thomas Plater, by a margin of about three percent, and became Representative at the age of 35. Treadwell's victory was aided by endorsements by Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and Andrew Jackson. A celebration party for victory in the midterms was held by the Attorney General, Thomas Holmes, in March 1803. Most of the major faces in Republican party had attended the party. Treadwell met various supporters, including the President and Andrew Jackson. Shortly after his meeting with Jackson, Treadwell would invite Jackson to his manor in the mountains of Annapolis, where the two and various other politicians, including then-Vice President John Jay, Monroe, Jackson, and Jefferson would discuss partisan politics, personal life, and other secretive matters over the course of many years.

Representative of Maryland; Speaker of the House (1803-1807)
Treadwell began his tenure as Representative of Maryland after being sworn in on March 4, 1803. He was generally agreed upon to be a very studious and intelligent Representative, and one who knew the politics of his party very well. He voted for his convictions most of the time, and at one point voted in favor of a Federalist policy relating to the treatment of slaves and indentured servants, which led to ridicule from members of the Congress, including a friend and colleague, Henry Lee III.

During his time as Representative, Treadwell would represent President Jefferson in his duel against William Hull, the Governor of Michigan and failed 1804 presidential candidate. On December 13, 1804, Hull was mortally wounded in the duel. Shortly thereafter, upon meeting with President Jefferson and other members of the House, Treadwell was selected to be the candidate for the Republicans to become Speaker of the House. As the parties began to crack at the seams, Treadwell was able to unite tertium quids and Republicans into an all-encompassing faction, of whom elected him to the House by an overwhelming majority, upending the multi-term incumbent Speaker Anthony Billanti, who was an Independent.

As Speaker of the House, Treadwell passed more bills than any of his predecessors. He held multiple sessions in a day in order to quickly tire out Federalists but also to pass legislation that he and other members of the House had written. He averaged about 6 or 7 bills in a day, but after voting against a bill that extended slavery into territories, a bill opposed by some Republicans and loved by the tertium quids, it seems they were ready for a change.

Secretary of State Monroe resigned from Jefferson's Cabinet on February 14, 1806, and a few days later, created the Liberty Party, which was a more radical Republican party that advocated for universal suffrage to white males over 21, permanent extension of the Atlantic slave trade, and for nominating James Monroe to the Presidency in 1808. After Treadwell's successful reelection campaigns in 1804 and 1806, Treadwell faced a contentious three-way race, both in the Speaker election and the Representative race. Though he won the Representative race handily, the vote split led to Elijah Lockhart, former Speaker Anthony Billanti, and Treadwell himself splitting votes amongst each other. Without a reliable base, and after the offer to become Speaker Pro Tempore, Lockhart sent his votes to Billanti in a "corrupt bargain," ending Treadwell's tenure as Speaker. Despite only serving for two years, his reputation was untainted.

The creation of the Democratic Party and the election of 1808
The Liberty Party steadily gained power after removing Treadwell from his position as Speaker. Dubbed the Lavenders, they plagued the Republicans and destroyed the party. Those who remained loyal to the Republican cause began to go Independent after Jefferson did the same. A general in the Army, Richard Fallon, notified the new Secretary of War, Andrew Jackson, and Representative Treadwell about the split, and in the Annapolis manor, on August 6, 1807, the three created the Democratic Party Shortly thereafter, Jefferson would join the party in December, and the Republicans all became Democrats.

This was the coup de grâce for the Liberty Party. They were reduced to a third party by early 1808. However, they still ran with Monroe as their candidate in 1808. Fallon ran as the inaugural candidate of the Democrats, with James Fenner, the President Pro Tempore and senior senator of Rhode Island, as his running mate. Longtime politician and Federalist candidate in 1800 George Clymer, represented the Federalists, but shortly after taking the nomination, the party formed into the Whig Party, taking Glenn Abramson, the Louisiana governor, as his running mate. The three way election in 1808 was fatal for the Democrats, and despite Treadwell's diligent campaigning alongside other Democrats, Fallon would lose after a contingent election was forced which led to the Liberty Party sending its votes to the Whigs. Clymer became President. As part of a compromise made in the House, the Democratic president pro tempore James Fenner would be promoted to vice president.

The bank war
Roger B. Taney and Anthony Billanti debated in the House through 1808 and 1809, and in February 1809, Billanti declared war on the banks and on the United States in general, trying to secede from the Union with help from his upstart party, the Rose Party. Billanti would be killed in combat in June 1809, with help from Treadwell and a British-American general, Benedict Randolph. Taney would continue the bank war, but Treadwell was able to get him to stop by the end of 1809.

The War of 1809
On November 23, 1808, the War of 1809 began when shots were fired on American territory in Montreal. Treadwell would join the military to fight in July 1810, and he served valiantly. During the Siege of Detroit, on February 22, 1811, Treadwell's right leg was viciously wounded by grapeshot during combat. With help from John Jay and Benedict Randolph, Treadwell would successfully get his leg amputated and be able to walk on it with assistance from either a cane or a brace.

Death of President Clymer, ascension to Secretary of State
On June 12, 1811, President George Clymer collapsed at his desk in the Oval Office, and died the next day of an intracerebral hemorrhage at the age of 72. Fenner took to oath of office immediately, and became the new President of the United States. He nominated Treadwell to the office of Secretary of State, and on July 11, Treadwell would be sworn in. As the War of 1809 cooled down and American ships drove the British from New Orleans, Treadwell would come into the Battle of New York with other generals, including Andrew Jackson, Richard Fallon, and William Henry Harrison, where the last British ships would leave America on March 27, 1812. On April 13, 1812, unconditional peace was made with the British, with Treadwell and Fenner presiding over the meeting. The Treaty of Ghent was signed shortly thereafter.

Vice President of the United States (1813-1821)
Treadwell's war hero status and his masterful foreign policy vision made him a great candidate for President in 1812. He had once considered a run in 1808, but decided against it after learning of Fallon's run. When Andrew Jackson ran for President in 1812, however, no one could stand up against him. Not even the incumbent POTUS, Fenner, could stand up to Jackson. He would lose the nomination by a margin for nearly 6-1, and Jackson would choose Treadwell as his running mate. The moribund Whig Party chose former Attorney General Thomas Holmes, the creator of the Constitution Party, as its presidential candidate. Holmes chose an old Liberty Party member and war hero Representative Elijah Lockhart as his running mate. This would be the last time that the Whigs participated in a general election, as they fell apart in 1814.

Holmes would ultimately lose the 1812 presidential election, only winning Virginia, his and Lockhart's home state.

The Jackson doctrine and Quebec independence (1813-1817)
With the national debt at $0 USD and a firm Democratic mandate to govern, the Era of Good Feelings began in earnest upon the inauguration of Andrew Jackson, on March 4, 1813. In his speech, he stressed the importance of what would become Jacksonian democracy, the need to keep foreign colonies out of America, and the need to make peace and expand in accordance to manifest destiny. Treadwell and Jackson's first order of business was to create the Jackson doctrine, which kept foreign colonies out of the Americas.

Over the course of the next eight years, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Maine, Florida, and Oregon would all be admitted into the Union, the most states ever admitted by a sitting President. In a futile attempt to continue Fenner's goal of expansion into Canada, America would then aid the Canadians and their president, Patrick Randolph, in opposition to the British, gaining Quebec independence. The Florida situation was tediously worked out throughout this first term as well, with the two executives working with the Spanish to restore order and define boundaries. In 1816, the Jackson/Treadwell ticket faced no opposition and won a unanimous second term, the only time since Washington that a unanimous victory in the Electoral College has happened.

The Jackson-Clay duel and the Jackson-Bessel duel (1818, 1820)
Treadwell would serve as the second for Jackson in a duel with Henry Clay, a young politician who had helped to create the Constitution Party and was an old guard Whig, on July 24, 1818. The duel was very quick, with Clay being shot in the heart and dying at the age of 39. The Vice President would then serve as the second for Jackson again during a duel with Theodore Bessel, a party leader of the Constitutional Union Party who created the ideas for a Republican Party, on December 11, 1820. Jackson and Bessel fired three shots each, with Bessel missing all three times, and Jackson striking Bessel in the arm on his third. Bessel would later commit suicide in 1822.

Presidency
Treadwell was essentially guaranteed the Presidency after Jackson's successes and the continued economic growth. He won the 1820 convention despite opposition in the background from Andrew Jackson, who at first felt that Treadwell was not mature enough to maintain the Presidency, and James Fenner, who felt that Treadwell had cheated him out of his fame. Treadwell chose former Vice President John Jay as his running mate. Fenner's loss convinced him to run under Theodore Bessel's Constitutional Union moniker, although he was still technically a Democrat and ran officially as an Independent. Treadwell soundly defeated Fenner in a landslide, winning all but Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Louisiana.

First term (1821-1825)
Treadwell began his first term riding off of the Jackson wave. Unfortunately, on December 24, 1821, Andrew Jackson was assassinated in front of him during a Washington parade at the age of 54. Treadwell was deeply stricken with grief and would not really recover emotionally from the effects. With a firm Democratic majority that was beginning to slip away. Treadwell tried desperately to settle the Mexican border conflict peacefully. Due to extraordinarily low tariffs (some industries had 0% tariff rates), the British and French both began to poach at American exports, causing the Panic of 1822. Treadwell was forced to raise tariffs, and momentarily it was believed that his career was over. In the 1822 midterms, Democrats lost control of the House and Senate, losing them to the newly formed Republican Party, made from the ashes of the Whig and Constitutional Union parties.

During this time, Treadwell made a compromise bill dubbed "The Anti-Slavery Pro-Slavery Compromise Bill" that protected the rights of slave owners and freedmen. It greatly helped his public image amongst the North, but also hurt him deeply in the south, where his base of support was.

However, the Panic subsided in early 1823, and because of the economic rebound and general peace abroad and at home, Treadwell was free to continue his duties as President without much duress. His career slowly healed, and his reputation was rebuilt. He settled conflicts in Quebec, dismantling Napoleonic plans to invade America, and continued to serve the American people, with a system dubbed Treadwellian republicanism beginning to take hold in America (a cross between Jacksonian policies and Jeffersonian policies). With a newly built mandate to govern, Treadwell announced his run for re-election on December 24, 1823, two years to the day that Andrew Jackson died.

John Jay, a life-long Independent, was guaranteed election to the Vice Presidency for the 1824 election. When John C. Melbourne, a former friend of Treadwell's, announced his campaign in February 1824 as a member of the Republicans, he chose Jay as his running mate. What was cut out to be a two-way race suddenly exploded, when James Fenner ran for President on an Independent ticket in March 1824, with Theodore "Ted!" Atkinson making his third run for the Presidency in June 1824. A late starter, abolitionist and New Liberty Party member James Treadwell III (Treadwell's second cousin) from Vermont announced his run in August 1824, after the primaries and nominations. Each man won their respective conventions and ran against each other.

1824 was the closest presidential election in American history. By a single vote in the Electoral College, Treadwell would stake out a majority despite a loss in the popular vote by 0.02%, and won a second term. His acceptance speech praised his opponents, and his inaugural address was short and explained how he intended to fix the issues in Mexico, the trade situation, and the situations in Quebec.

Second term (1825-1829)
Treadwell's second term was much less eventful than his first. Treadwell's dementia, which had now flared up, lead to his Cabinet making most of his decisions. John Jay's health grew worse, which worried Treadwell and gave him more stress. William Henry Harrison, Treadwell's Attorney General, was fed up with his lackluster position and resigned in July 1826. Following this, Treadwell, now 58 years of age, found himself in a position of popularity for the first time since the beginning of his Presidency. Many of his contemporaries compared him to Jackson and he was convinced by them to run for President in 1828. During that time, he averted another crisis in Mexico by "Constitutionally removing Republican officials from their offices," starting with Secretary of the Treasury James K. Polk, of whom he fought with (albeit losing) and ended his political career for a number of years. Over the next three years, from 1826 to 1829, Republicans would be ejected from office, censured, and even forceably removed from their chairs in the Senate, House, and in gubernatorial seats. This time of political patronage and corruption was dubbed "The Black Stain" by the press.

Treadwell invested the help of Moses Laker, the son of his old mentor, Methodist preacher James Laker, to further build the Transcontinental Railroad that was started by James Fenner, and to add onto the White House. All of this was completed within about eight months, bring great fame to Laker, who'd become well-known as an architect and later the owner of a monopoly in California. Moses Laker died in 1866.

Treadwell's run for a third term was widely viewed as inevitable by the press, but when William Henry Harrison entered the race on June 24, only three days before the National Convention would meet, Treadwell dropped out but kept his name in the ballot box. Harrison would win the nomination, naturally, and run against John C. Melbourne, the Republican whom Treadwell had beaten in 1824. In a shocking twist of fate, Harrison lost to Melbourne by a margin of about 1.5%. Treadwell's farewell address was given on February 16, 1829, and stressed the need for "peace, prosperity, and a return to normalcy in the way that our forefathers intended; with the sternest welcome of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all of mankind."

Controversies
Treadwell gained much controversy, primarily after the Civil War and into the 20th century, because of his policies involving African-Americans. A private abolitionist, he flip-flopped on his position in 1823, following the death of his son in a slave rebellion. He unleashed an Executive Order that would "place enslaved Persons within camps of internment due to the ravaging rebellions that take hold of Washington and the American continent." This Executive Order would expire two years later, and he would later privately express regret and pity for his actions. He also gained much controversy for his divorce, the information of which would come out in his post-presidency, leaving a bad stain on his reputation.

Retirement (1829-1845)
Treadwell retired on March 4, 1829, and attended John C. Melbourne's inauguration. Melbourne and Treadwell would become reunited, though they held a strong political disdain for each other following the Mexican-American War. Treadwell continued to make public appearances throughout the 1830s, rallying Democrats down-ballot and on the national scale. He endorsed a variety of people for President, including:


 * George Harrison [National Union] (1832, 1836) - As the son of William Henry Harrison, George Harrison was a Republican who united pro-Union Democrats and Republicans together. Treadwell endorsed him on the basis of "a Constitutional Union, free of despair and confederacy, forged in democracy and liberty." Harrison would win the election.
 * Lennox Abramson [Democrat] (1840) - The nephew of an old friend, Glenn Abramson, Treadwell would endorse Abramson on the basis of "continuing where his father left off, and building a legacy that we as Americans can stand behind as a united front." Despite the strong words of encouragement and praise, Abramson lost in a landslide to John C. Melbourne IV, the son of his 1824 opponent.
 * James K. Polk [Democrat] (1844) - His off again on again friend and foe, and a young man whom he had been acquainted with since the late 1810s, he endorsed Polk for a very simple reason. As he said in his final meeting with Polk, "it's because you're my friend, James."

Treadwell continued to make public appearances and statements until a few months before his death. His rate of public appearances fell following John Jay's death on July 4, 1834, and he made rare appearances that often read out like a predecessor to a TED talk. His final public appearance was a speech on February 20, 1845, where he talked about his son, Thomas, moving to Missouri, and the great feats that the family had achieved in their respective professions.

Personal life and death
Treadwell married twice in his life. His first marriage was to a Marylander named Lauren Todd, the daughter of a wealthy planter. The two would begin courting in 1785, as the two were reportedly neighbors, and they married on February 16, 1787 at Treadwell's manor in Annapolis. Their marriage went well for the first year, but shortly after having a son, Lauren "changed for the worse," according to Treadwell's journals. After constant fighting, Treadwell filed for divorce, and it was finalized on April 30, 1789, the same day that George Washington was inaugurated.

From this marriage, Treadwell only had one child:


 * Samuel James Treadwell (1788-1823) [Samuel Treadwell was born on November 18, 1788. Following his father's nomination to Secretary of State, Treadwell moved to Louisiana in 1810 to escape from the spotlight, working as a militiaman and being promoted to Lieutenant General. He was killed in action during a slave rebellion in August 1823. He was 34.]

Treadwell met a nurse, Jeanne Beverly, while wounded in action in Detroit. The two began dating in early 1811, and married on September 26, 1812, near the end of the war. They had two children from the marriage, and stayed married for the rest of her life. Beverly died on December 6, 1841, from apoplexy, and was buried in the front yard of the Annapolis Mountain Manor. Their two children were:


 * Thomas Andrew Patrick Treadwell (1813-1857) [Thomas A.P. Treadwell was born on June 26, 1813. He would move to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1845, anticipating the death of his father. He lived there for the rest of his life and helped created the short-lived Confederate States of America, serving as its only President. On February 2, 1857,Thomas Treadwell would be killed on orders of General George Harrison. He was 43.]
 * Alexander Jay Treadwell (1815-1883) [Alexander Treadwell was born on November 6, 1815. He would serve in the House of Representatives from 1843 to 1847, but found that he did not like the office. He would join the Union Army in 1851, following in his father's footsteps. He was a member of the batallion that killed his brother, the President of the Confederate States, Thomas Treadwell. He retired from the Army in 1864, and went onto serve in the Senate and make an unsuccessful run for President in 1876. Treadwell died on August 11, 1883, at the age of 67.]

Treadwell was diagnosed with dementia in the middle of 1822. He had been suffering from short term memory loss and other ailments of the brain for the past 10 years, and it was attributed to the war effort, which scarred his brain and may have given him PTSD. Over the next two decades, his mental state would slowly be damaged and reduced. After retiring from public life in 1829, it worsened considerably. By 1843, Treadwell was bedridden.

In the autumn of 1844, Treadwell hosted James K. Polk at his manor, and endorsed him for President of the United States. This would be his final "public" appearance, due to the fact that various other reporters and aides were at the manor at the time. Treadwell wrote a public letter to newspapers on March 4, 1845, congratulating the nation for choosing Polk and expressing a hope to continue Jacksonian democracy and to "vote with your brain, and fight with your heart." This would be the final address that Treadwell wrote, gave, or sent.

On June 7, 1845, Treadwell lost consciousness and was diagnosed with apoplexy. It was expected that his death was emminent. During the early morning hours of June 8, 1845, Treadwell experienced terminal lucidity, proclaiming, "I am Patrick Treadwell." These were his final words. At 2:25 AM, on June 8, 1845, Patrick Treadwell succumbed to dementia and stroke at the age of 77.

Religious views
Treadwell practiced Deism for a good part of his early life. Upon meeting Methodist preacher James Laker, however, Treadwell became a practitioner of Methodism and Anglicanism. He argued that, scientifically, people such as Methuselah, who lived 969 years, had really lived for much shorter, but that time had been shorter in the early days of the Universe. This theory was repeatedly challenged, and thus never surfaced publicly.

Personality
Treadwell was described in his youth as being a fiery, hot-tempered young man with lots of charisma. As he grew older, he grew more serene. However, he was very loyal as well. He viewed threats to his friends as threats to himself, and fought people he believed had insulted his intelligence or friends all the way to the end.

Views on slavery and women's rights
Treadwell was a fervent abolitionist in private for most of his life. In 1804, he wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson, convincing him to "free your slaves from that great prison you hold them in [Monticello] and be a real man for the People, as you say." He owned anywhere from 11 to 17 slaves in his life, but was said to have paid them small amounts if they excelled in their crafts. During his presidency, Treadwell had about 20 indentured servants, of whom looked after his Annapolis Mountain Manor and kept it lively. He freed all of his slaves and servants in his will. Upon his death, there were 11 indentured servants and 13 slaves that were freed.

Legacy
James K. Polk would eulogize Treadwell, saying that "never has a man done so much, seen so much, nor felt so much as Treadwell has done in his years." His eulogy would become well-known due to Polk's lines that referred to him as "a friend worth worshipping, an enemy worth condemnation, but a person worth knowing." His moderate views and Treadwellian republicanism would pass throughout the party in the future, though Polk represented a return to Jeffersonian and Jacksonian roots.

Treadwell himself is often forgotten amongst the great Presidents of the day, including Jefferson, Jackson, Harrison, and Polk. Despite this, many of his ideals are still practiced as part of classical liberalism and progressive conservatism.