The Person:
From the Wikipedia Entry on Spencer Darwin Pettis:
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"Spencer Darwin Pettis (1802 – August 28, 1831) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri and the fourth Missouri Secretary of State. He is best known, however, for being a participant in a fatal duel with Major Thomas Biddle. Pettis County, Missouri, is named in his honor.
Spencer Pettis was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, to parents John and Martha (Reynolds) Pettis in 1802. His father was a veteran of the American Revolution, serving with the 1st Regiment, Virginia Line at the Battle of Guilford Court House and elsewhere.[citation needed] Spencer Pettis' exact date of birth and much about his childhood is unknown. Genealogy records indicate he did have at least two sisters, one of whom, Sally, was the mother of American Civil War naval officer Thornton A. Jenkins. Spencer Pettis received at least enough education to study for the law and become a practicing attorney. Pettis moved west in 1821, settling in central Missouri's Boonslick region, opening a law practice in the Howard County seat of Fayette, Missouri.
Despite his youth – he did not meet the minimum age of 24 required by the Missouri Constitution – Spencer Pettis was elected to the Missouri General Assembly in 1824 by an overwhelming margin. He would serve less than one full term in the legislature however. In July, 1826 Missouri Governor John Miller appointed Pettis the Missouri Secretary of State. It was while in that position he became a friend and protege' of U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton and an ardent Jacksonian Democrat. Through these new connections Pettis won election in 1828 as Missouri's sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives. At the time most of Missouri's population was centered along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Pettis, seeking every vote possible, had a large number of handbills printed promoting his campaign and distributed them far and wide across the most remote areas of the state. During his brief time in Congress Pettis cast several votes of some historical interest. Among them were "aye" on a bill to continue work on the Cumberland Road and a resolution urging the U.S. President negotiate with other nations for the abolition of the African slave trade Pettis would be reelected to a second term in Congress in 1830, but by then the die had been cast in a conflict that would rock Missouri politics and take Pettis' life.
What transpired on August 26, 1831, had its roots many months earlier. Missouri's Jacksonian Democrats, led by Senator Thomas Hart Benton, engaged in a number of debates during the 1830 Congressional election season that saw many fiery speeches on issues of banking, currency stability, and western land use. During one of those speeches, Congressman Pettis harshly criticized Nicholas Biddle, President of the Second Bank of the United States. U.S. Army Major Thomas Biddle, a resident of the St. Louis area and brother of Nicholas Biddle, took offense at the remarks.
A war of words soon ensued in the St. Louis press in the form of letters to the editor. In one such letter, Biddle called Pettis "a dish of skimmed milk", to which Pettis responded by questioning Biddle's manhood. Pettis was reelected to U.S. Congress in November 1830, but the feud between the two refused to die. Things escalated dramatically on July 9, 1831, when Thomas Biddle heard that an ill Pettis was resting in a St. Louis hotel. Biddle attacked Pettis in his room, beating him severely with a cowhide whip until other hotel guests intervened.
Fearing that he might be attacked again during his recovery, Congressman Pettis had Major Biddle arrested on a peace warrant. At the court proceedings, Pettis attempted to draw a pistol, with the intention of shooting Biddle, but was restrained by friends. At this, Biddle stated that he would promptly accept any challenge that the Congressman cared to issue. After sufficient time to recover from the beating, on August 21, 1831, Congressman Pettis challenged Biddle to a duel, which was promptly accepted. As the challenged party, Biddle was allowed to choose the weapons and distance. Being nearsighted, Major Biddle chose pistols at the unusually close distance of five feet. This meant that each man would take at most one or two steps before turning to fire, with their pistols perhaps even overlapping, depending on arm length. In short, it was suicidal and seen as a ploy by some observers and later historians to make Pettis back down and thus lose the affair of honor without bloodshed.
At five p.m. on August 27, 1831, Biddle and Pettis, along with their seconds, Major Benjamin O'Fallon and Captain Martin Thomas respectively, met on Bloody Island, a small sandbar located in the Mississippi River between St. Louis and the Illinois shore. Dueling was illegal in both states, but authorities tended to turn a blind eye to this neutral ground. As large crowds watched from the St. Louis riverfront, Biddle and Pettis obeyed the commands to step, turn, and fire. When the smoke cleared, both men had fallen with mortal wounds. Before being carried off the island, both men were overheard to forgive each other for the altercation. Congressman Spencer Pettis died the next day, while Major Biddle lingered on until August 29. Both men were buried with full honors, eulogized for choosing death before dishonor. The funerals for both men were said to be the largest ever held in St. Louis in the 19th century.
Spencer Pettis never married and had no children."
The Place:
From the Wikipedia page for Pettis County, Missouri:
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"Pettis County is a county located in west central U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,201. Its county seat is Sedalia. The county was organized January 24, 1833, and named after former U.S. Representative Spencer Darwin Pettis.
Pettis County comprises the Sedalia, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The county is home to the site of the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 686 square miles (1,780 km2), of which 682 square miles (1,770 km2) is land and 4.0 square miles (10 km2) (0.6%) is water."
The Courthouse:
From the National Register Application:
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"415 South Ohio Avenue, Pettis County Courthouse, 1924, Classical Revival.
Rectangular plan, three stories, raised limestone foundation with molded watertable, limestone walls, flat roof. The building has nine bays, the center seven of which are slightly recessed. The rusticated first story has a cornerstone laid on February 7, 1924. The west facade has three center entries each with stone surrounds including a pulvinated frieze and closed pediment with acroterion supported by scroll consoles. The center entry has a modern flush aluminum frame door (original door inside), while the side entries are deeply recessed with 1-light double doors with transoms covered by decorative grilles. A raised terrace extends across all three entries and has three center steps; the sides are enclosed with decorative metal railings (spelling "PETTIS") between stone pedestals. The three pedimented entrieds are flanked by two bays on each side having round arches with exaggerated voussoirs; one original configuration remains on the first north bay: a deeply recessed multi-light double door with 4-light sidelights and round arch transom. The other bays contain modern replacement aluminum frame entries. The north and south end bays have 6/6 sash with 4-light sidelights below flat arches with exaggerated keystones. The center seven bays of the second and third stories have eight Corinthian columns in antis; metal framed windows are recessed between the columns: the second story has 8/8 sash with 5-light sidelights and 4-light transoms, the third story has 8/8 sash with sidelights. The windows are grouped together with a single molded surround with consoles and keystone; shallow spandrel panels are between the stories. The second and third stories of the end bays have similar sash set in a slightly recessed plain surround. A full classical entablature circles the building with a plain architrave, a frieze inscribed "PETTIS COUNTY COURTHOUSE" in the center, and a cornice. A parapet with an alternating open and closed balustrade tops the building and flanks a center round stone cartouche with a clock in the center. The east elevation is similar to the main west facade with all original entries except for a center flush modern door; no parapet clock. The north and south elevations have seven bays, the center five of which are slightly recessed. The first story has five center round arch windows set above the watertable/continuous sill with 8/8 sash with round arch transoms below stone arches with exaggerated voussoirs. The second and third stories have engaged Corinthian columns in antis with similar recessed window groupings as the main facade but without sidelights. The east and west end bays are similar in detail to the main facade end bays. Solid parapet balustrade. A parking lot fronts the north elevation. The courthouse block is landscaped with various war memorials, benches and the cornerstone from the former courthouse building."