Birthdays
William Daily Clayton
Turns 21 on this date
Jonathan Perry Harrison
Turns 30 on this date
Anthony Kennedy
Turns 49 on this date
Samuel Alexander Mudd
Turns 26 on this date
Robert Barnwell Rhett
Turns 59 on this date
James Sewall Thomas
Turns 28 on this date
William Wright
Turns 71 on this date
Events
| Lawmaking/Litigating | In the hotly contested Speaker's election, Democrat John Millson of Virginia comes to within eighteen votes of success | 12/21/1859 |
| Legal/Political | Southern students make a mass exodus from Philadelphia's medical schools | 12/21/1859 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The 36th U.S. Congress is in session in Washington, D.C. |
12/06/1859 to 06/24/1860 |
Documents
| Newspaper | Lowell (MA) Citizen & News, “Frederick Douglass,” December 21, 1859 | 12/21/1859 |
| Newspaper | New York Times, “Practical Secession,” December 21, 1859 | 12/21/1859 |