Later when he moved west to California, he became an American Party (Know Nothingist) supporter of the smaller minority independent third party) while in California and nation-wide, while he was living there during the late 1850s, the know Nothings were a anti-immigrant, anti-Roman Catholic splinter extremist movement and somewhat of a cult in American political history, which led to several violent riots during elections in northeastern American big cities in the turbulent violent pre-Civil War era.

During its short-lived existence, everal of its American Party members / supporters were elected to local, state and national offices, and got their start in political and civic activities.

It was the national legislature / legislative branch of the secessionist southern Confederate States of America government, during the war.

A practicing attorney, he published two books of memoirs related to the Civil War years, then a book on the history of Texas before its 1845 annexation by the United States, the Texas Revolution of 1836 and brief war afterwards (which led to the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848), and its earlier historical / political period of 16th to 19th centuries in the previous Spanish Empire of the Americas / colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain and in subsequent independent Mexico after 1821.

Plus he also authored a post-war book on the legal profession and courts of justice in the Southern United States in the 19th century.

One day, the burly Benton became so enraged by Foote's verbal attacks that he marched across the Senate floor in a threatening manner.

As Benton charged him, Foote "advanced backwards" (as he said later) to the Vice President's bench, and drew a pistol.

[5] The Compromise was widely criticized in the South by pro-slavery hard-liners such as Jefferson Davis (another Mississippi Democrat).

Foote was nominated for governor by the Union Party, a coalition of anti-secession Democrats and Whigs.

[8][9] Early in 1865, Foote attempted to cross to U.S. lines and travel to Washington, D.C. but was arrested by Confederates before he could do so.

Given the choice of leaving the United States or being sent back to the Confederacy, Foote fled to Canada and later to London.

[1] His son Henry S. Foote Jr. served in the Confederate States Army and later as a superior court judge in California.

[3] They briefly resided at Old Central in West Nashville, a house built in 1858 on land she had inherited from her grandfather, John Boyd, a congressman for the Republic of Texas.