Beauchamp-Sharpe Tragedy of 1825

Jun 30, 2025

Dive into the Beauchamp-Sharpe tragedy of 1825, a gripping tale of scandal and murder involving a politician and a young lawyer. Explore the political intrigue brewing in Kentucky, alongside the chaotic life and assassination of Solomon Sharp. Discover the courtroom drama during Jeroboam Beecham's trial, filled with contradictions and deep emotions. The tragic love story between Beecham and his wife unfolds amidst the chaos, raising questions about justice and morality in a tumultuous era.

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ANECDOTE

Main Players' Backgrounds

Solomon P. Sharp was a successful Kentucky lawyer and politician who married into a prominent family.
Ann Cook, a woman with a tragic family history, was connected to Sharp, setting the stage for conflict.

INSIGHT

Sharp's Scandal and Clearance

Sharp was accused of fathering an illegitimate child with Anne Cook but denied it during his political rise.
Despite accusations, a Senate committee confirmed him as Kentucky Attorney General after investigation.

ANECDOTE

Beecham and Anne's Union

Jeroboam Beecham studied law and married Anne Cook in 1824 after overcoming family and societal challenges.
Their courtship and marriage occurred amid a tense local political climate and personal tragedy.

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The Beauchamp-Sharpe tragedy of 1825, sometimes called the Kentucky tragedy, involves a politician, a young lawyer, and the lawyer’s wife. It unfolds as a story of sexual scandal and political intrigue that ultimately led to murder.

Research:

Beauchamp, Jereboam O. “The confession of Jereboam Beauchamp (written by himself) who was executed at Frankfort, Ky., for the murder of Col. Solomon P. Sharp, a member of the legislature, and late attorney-general of Ky. To which is added some poetical pieces written by Mrs. Ann Beauchamp, who voluntarily put a period to her existence on the day of the execution of her husband, and was buried in the same grave with him.” H.T. Goodsell. Kentucky. https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/sat1109
“Beauchamp’s Trial.” The Frankfort Argus. May 10, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1040984938/?match=1&terms=beauchamp
Bruce, Dickson D. “The Kentucky Tragedy: A Story of Conflict and Change in Antebellum America.” Louisiana State University Press. 2006.
Coleman, J. Winston, Jr. “THE BEAUCHAMP - SHARP TRAGEDY: An Episode of Kentucky History During the Middle 1820's.” ROBERTS PRINTING COMPANY. Frankfurt, KY. 1950. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.32000013353117&seq=9&format=plaintext
Coleman, J. Winston. “The Beauchamp-Sharp tragedy; an episode of Kentucky history during the middle 1820's.” ROBERTS PRINTING COMPANY. FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY. 1950. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.32000013353117&seq=9
Cooke, J.W. “THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL SOLOMON P. SHARP PART 1: UPRIGHTNESS AND INVENTIONS; SNARES AND NETS.” The Filson Club History Quarterly. Vol. 72, No. 1. January 1998. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/72-1-3_The-Life-and-Death-of-Colonel-Solomon-P.-Sharp-part-1-Uprightness-and-Inventions-Snares-and-Net_Cooke-J.W..pdf
“Horrible Assassination.” The Frankfort Argus. Nov. 9. 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1044971148/?match=1&terms=solomon%20sharp
Jillson, Willard Rouse. “THE BEAUCHAMP—SHARP TRAGEDY IN AMERICAN LITERATURE.” Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, vol. 36, no. 114, 1938, pp. 54–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23371707
Kimball, William J. “The ‘Kentucky Tragedy:’ Romance or Politics.” The Filson Club History Quarterly. Vol. 48. 1974. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/48-1-3_The-Kentucky-Tragedy-Romance-of-Politics_Kimball-William-J..pdf
“The Murderer od Col. Sharp.” Republican Banner. Nov. 28, 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/603858007/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp
“The Mutilated Act.” Lexington Weekly Press. June 20, 1825. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1183393429/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp
“Romantic 1825 Tragedy.” Kentucky Historical Society. https://history.ky.gov/markers/romantic-1825-tragedy
Schoenbachler, Matthew G. “Murder and Madness: The Myth of the Kentucky Tragedy.” University Press of Kentucky. 2009.
Gates, W. B. “William Gilmore Simms and the Kentucky Tragedy.” American Literature, vol. 32, no. 2, 1960, pp. 158–66. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2922674
“To the Public.” Woodstock Observer and Windsor and Orange County Gazette. Aug, 29, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/489194545/?match=1&terms=Jereboam%200.%20Beauchamp

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