Ashbel P. Willard
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| Ashbel Parsons Willard | |
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| In office December 5, 1850 – December 4, 1852 |
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| In office December 5, 1852 – January 25, 1857 |
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Eleventh Governor of Indiana
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| In office January 25, 1857 – October 3, 1860 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph A. Wright |
| Succeeded by | Abram A. Hammond |
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| Born | October 20, 1820 Oneida County, New York. |
| Died | October 3, 1860 St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Political party | Democrat |
Ashbel Parsons Willard (October 20, 1820 - October 4, 1860) was a governor of the U.S. state of Indiana and was the first Indiana governor to die in office.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Ashbel Willard was born on October 20, 1820 in Oneida County, New York. There he attended Hamilton College and studied law with Judge Barker. He moved to Marshall, Michigan in 1842 and lived there for about a year. In 1843 he made a trip to Texas on horseback and on his return stopped in Carrolton, Kentucky; he so liked the town he settled there for awhile and became a local school teacher. After living sometime there he moved again to Louisville, Kentucky where he continued teaching. In his spare time he read and studied.[1]
In the 1844 election Willard, a Democrat, stumped all around the Louisville area and southern Indiana for James Polk who ultimately won the election. While on the stump the people of New Albany, Indiana so liked him that they invited him to come live in their community. He accepted their offer and moved there in the spring of 1845. He also worked for a time as a writer in the clerk's office. He would remain in New Albany for the rest of his life.[2]
[edit] Public life
In 1849 Willard became a New Albany councilman. In 1850 he was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives as New Albany's representative. He chaired the states Ways and Means Commitee, became Speaker of the House, and became a leader in the state Democratic Party.[3]
In 1852 he was nominated to the candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana at the state Democratic Convention. The ticket won and he served with Gov. Joseph A. Wright until his resignation on January 26, 1857 When Willard became governor. He won reelection to seat in 1858.[4]
While governor his brother-in-law John Cook was involved in John Brown's Raid, an armed insurrection to free slaves in Virginia, and sentenced to death. Willard, determined to save his brother-in-law, went to him in prison and arranged to have his cell left open so he could escape. Cook refused to be released and was subsequently executed despite Willard's pleas to Governor Wise to stay his death sentence.[5]
Willard found himself on the opposite side of the slavery debate as his brother-in-law. although Indiana was a free state, he thought southerners should maintain the right to determine the slavery issue for their selves. The Republican Party split from the Democrats during Willard's tenure as governor and he occupied a precarious time in the history of the nation as the whole country was on the edge to impending American Civil War.[6]
Willard died on October 3, 1860 in St. Paul, Minnesota on a tour to promote goodwill among the states. His body was returned to Indiana where he was buried.
[edit] References
- ^ Biographical and Historical of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 104
- ^ Biographical and Historical of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 105
- ^ Biographical and Historical of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 105
- ^ An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana, by De Witt C. Goodrich, Pg 224
- ^ Biographical and Historical of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 110
- ^ An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana,By De Witt C. Goodrich, Pg 224
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Joseph A. Wright |
Governor of Indiana January 12, 1857 – October 4, 1860 |
Succeeded by Abram A. Hammond |
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