Contemporaries generally agreed that David Crockett was powerfully built, erect in posture, and muscular, with dark brown hair worn long and parted in the middle, a gentle face with a light complexion, rosy cheeks, a long nose, an "Irish" chin with a noticeable cleft, and piercing light blue or gray eyes. Though likely only a few inches taller than the five-foot-eight Daniel Boone, his carriage and physique made some think he stood six feet tall. Chester Harding, who had painted Daniel Boone 14 years earlier, may have captured the most accurate likeness of Crockett in 1834. James Erwin described him as rough, uncouth, loud, independent, fearless, and uniquely able in Tennessee to oppose General Jackson in his district and still win election to Congress. In public life, Crockett became known for a distinctive style and courage that made him one of the most unusual American politicians, especially in championing squatters and poor frontier settlers who sought opportunity and fairness in western lands. Although mostly ineffectual in Washington, his outlandish manner, language, and independence from President Andrew Jackson's policies helped create the first real American celebrity from the frontier. A central part of his character and legend was his commanding use of backwoods vernacular, which he used with humor to celebrate success and excuse failure. During his life, he came to embody the spirit of the pioneer, enduring losses and setbacks while pursuing a better life for all, and his legend grew from his role as a common man and lone dissenter who took large personal risks and displayed the values of the frontier individualist.