David Wallace (Indiana politician)
David Wallace | |
---|---|
U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th district | |
In office March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 | |
Preceded by | William W. Wick |
Succeeded by | John W. Davis |
Personal details | |
Born | April 24, 1799 Whig |
Spouse(s) | Esther French Test Zerelda Gray Sanders |
Children | ten, notably Lew Wallace |
Profession | soldier, attorney, politician, judge |
David Wallace (April 24, 1799 – September 4, 1859) was the
Early life
Family and background
David Wallace was born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, on April 24, 1799, the oldest of the seven children of Andrew and Eleanor Wallace. His father was a surveyor and tavern owner who became close friends with William Henry Harrison while the two served together in the War of 1812. The family benefited from Harrison's patronage. Wallace's brother, William H. Wallace, was appointed as the fourth governor of the Washington Territory and first governor of the Idaho Territory;[1] another brother, John M. Wallace, was appointed Indiana Adjutant General.[2]
His family moved to Ohio and settled near Cincinnati when he was a young boy. Wallace later attended Miami College before his family again moved to Brookville, Indiana, in 1817. With the help of Harrison, Wallace secured entrance into the United States Military Academy. He graduated from West Point in 1821 and served as a lieutenant of artillery and taught mathematics at the school, but resigned his commission after about a year in the service.[1] He later served as a captain and colonel in the 7th Regiment, Indiana Militia.[3]
When Wallace left the army he returned to his family in Brookville. There he began to study law in the office of Judge Miles C. Eggleston, and was admitted to the bar in 1823. He entered into a practice with Congressman
His brother, William H. Wallace (1811-1879), also became active in politics, serving as a U.S. Representative from Idaho Territory and Washington Territory, first governor of Idaho Territory, and fourth governor of Washington Territory.
Public office
Legislator
In 1828, Wallace was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives, where he served until 1831, when he was elected the sixth Lieutenant Governor on the Whig ticket with Noah Noble. As Lieutenant Governor he led the debate in the state senate to create the Bank of Indiana and gained a reputation as a skilled orator. Wallace was an outspoken advocate of the state's internal improvement projects, and painted a rosy picture of the state's situation during his campaign for governor. His family moved to Covington during his term.[3]
During his second term as Lieutenant Governor, the state passed the
Governor
Wallace's term as governor was marred by the Panic of 1837 and years of economic uncertainty which followed. Indiana had been enjoying a period of internal improvements of roads and canals, but nearly all such projects ended during this financial crisis. He was able to help arrange the state's finances to delay the inevitable bankruptcy of the state. The deficit only worsened, and by the end of his term, the state's income only covered 20% of its expenditures—interest on the massive state debt being over two-thirds of the budget. The last year of his term, work on all the projects was halted. Wallace delivered an address to the General Assembly to inform them that the works were almost entirely worthless in their present condition and the state's credit had been exhausted. He informed the legislature that the state would be insolvent in the following year.[7]
The last of the Indian removals in Indiana occurred during Wallace's term, and only the few unwilling to leave voluntarily remained in the state. The 1833 Treaty of Chicago with the Potawatomi led to their removal. Wallace ordered General and U.S. Senator John Tipton to remove the band of 859 Potawatomi from the vicinity of Plymouth, Indiana, and send them to the Kansas Territory. Forty-two Potawatomi, mostly children, died from disease and the stress of the two-month march in what became known as the "Trail of Death".[7]
During his term, Wallace set the date Indiana would observe
By the end of his term, the impending financial disaster was becoming apparent to the state's residents. Seeking to break away from failing projects, the Whigs moved against projects and nominated Samuel Bigger to run for governor, denying Wallace and his pro-internal improvement position a spot on the Whig ticket. Wallace then returned to his law practice.[9]
Later life
After his term as governor, Wallace was elected in 1841 to the
Wallace returned to Indiana where he became chairman of the state's Whig party in 1846. He served as a member of Indiana's constitutional convention in 1850–1851. His name is only mentioned nine times in the convention records and unlike the other former governors who attended, he did not play a major role in the convention. Wallace then became a judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Marion County from 1856 until his death.[9]
Wallace died suddenly, without having been ill, on September 4, 1859, in Indianapolis, Indiana and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery.[11]
See also
References
Notes
- ^ a b Gugin, p. 80
- ^ Whitson, Rolland Lewis, ed. (1914). Centennial History of Grant County, Indiana, 1812 to 1912. Vol. II. New York: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 675. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Woollen, p. 70
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Gugin, p. 81
- ^ Gugin, p. 82
- ^ a b Gugin, p. 83
- ^ Dunn, 442
- ^ a b Woollen, p. 71
- ^ Woollen, p. 75
- ^ Gugin, p. 85
Bibliography
- Dunn, Jacob Piatt (1919). Indiana and Indianans. American Historical Society.
- Gugin, Linda C.; St. Clair, James E, eds. (2006). The Governors of Indiana. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87195-196-7.
- Woollen, William Wesley (1975). Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana. Ayer Publishing. ISBN 0-405-06896-4.