William Hendricks
William Hendricks | |
---|---|
Member of the Indiana Territorial Legislature | |
In office 1813–1816 | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's at-large district | |
In office December 11, 1816 – July 25, 1822 | |
Preceded by | Jonathan Jennings[2] |
Succeeded by | Jonathan Jennings |
3rd Governor of Indiana | |
In office December 5, 1822 – February 12, 1825 | |
Lieutenant | Ratliff Boon |
Preceded by | Ratliff Boon |
Succeeded by | James B. Ray |
United States Senator from Indiana | |
In office March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1837 | |
Preceded by | Waller Taylor |
Succeeded by | Oliver H. Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | November 12, 1782 Ligonier Valley, Anti-Jacksonian Whig |
Spouse | Ann Parker Paul |
Alma mater | Jefferson College |
William Hendricks (November 12, 1782 – May 16, 1850) was a
Early life
Family and background
Hendricks was born in Ligonier Valley, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania on November 12, 1782, the son of Abraham and Ann Jamison Hendricks. His father was a prominent man in the community and a state legislator. He was the brother of Thomas Hendricks and John Hendricks, the uncle of Vice President
He attended a common school in Ligonier Valley where he was a classmate of
Move to Indiana Territory
After 1813 he moved to Madison in the Indiana Territory. Madison remained his home for the rest of his life. During his early days in there, he set up a printing press he brought with him from Cincinnati, and became the proprietor of the Western Eagle, the second newspaper to be printed in the territory. His paper and the positions he supported helped him to quickly gain popularity in the local community. The anti-slavery eastern part of the territory was at that time locked in a struggle with the pro-slavery western party for control of the territorial government. The Western Eagle combated the pro-slavery Vincennes Sun, and garnered considerable support from the eastern settlers. He later used his printing press to print the first codification of Indiana state laws during his term as governor.[5]
Hendricks married Ann Parker Paul of Hardin County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Colonel John Paul, who was the founder of Madison. The couple had nine children. William Hendricks Jr became a state legislator. Two sons were killed during the American Civil War and two other children died in infancy.[6] Ann outlived her husband by some thirty-seven years, and died at Madison on September 12, 1887.[3][7]
Public office
Territorial legislator
In February 1813 Hendricks was elected clerk of the territorial legislature in
In 1816 he attended the state Constitutional Convention held in Corydon as an unofficial delegate. Although only two years since he entered the territory, he had become so well known and popularized that he served as the convention's secretary.[9] He was again in party with Jonathan Jennings, Dennis Pennington, and others seeking to institute a constitutional ban on slavery. His actions at the convention further strengthened his reputation for business aptitude and political skills.[8]
Congressman
Jennings was elected
Governor
In 1822 Hendricks ran unopposed for the position of Governor of Indiana and succeeded Jonathan Jennings; Jennings in turn succeeded Hendricks in his congressional seat. Hendricks won 100% of the 18,340 votes, the only governor in Indiana history to win by that margin.[11] He assumed the office on December 5, 1822. While governor he occupied the Governor's Headquarters in Corydon, which he purchased from Davis Floyd. He served as governor from 1822 until 1825. He was the last governor to serve while the capital remained in Corydon.[10]
When he came to office, the state was still in a poor financial condition because the state's bank failures caused by the Panic of 1819 and the ensuing collapse of the modest internal improvement programs. The state's bonds had been depreciated in 1821 and severely hurt the state's credit and ability to borrow funds. The state budget was still in deficit, and the state's sparse population was producing very little revenue. The situation was resolved by selling public land to raise money to pay off a significant portion of the outstanding debt, and government accounts were moved to the Second Bank of the United States since there were no banks operating in Indiana.[10]
The foundation of state's school system—the first state-funded system in the nation—also began to be laid during Hendricks's administration. During his tenure as governor each township was granted land on which a public school could be established. The value of these improvements totaled over $1.25 million, making it the highest dollar item on the budget to that date. Construction of the State Seminary, later to become Indiana University, also began during his term. Hendricks also contributed personally to Hanover College. As the state's finances would not allow the large-scale improvements Hendricks envisioned, he focused efforts on creating critical routes and approved legislation that required state residents to spend allotted amounts of time helping to build the state roads. Existing roads and rivers were improved by clearing obstacles.[12]
Hendricks codified Indiana's laws for the first time in 1822, creating the
One of his final acts as governor was to approve a move of the capitol from Corydon to Indianapolis. There had been an intense debate to keep the capitol in the south where almost all of the state's population resided. Indianapolis was 60 miles (97 km) north of the nearest settlement and on the edge of the frontier. Despite considerable pressure, Hendricks signed the measure in late 1824.[15]
Senator
On February 14, 1825, Hendricks resigned his position as Governor to become a
In 1834, he was one of only two Anti-Jacksonian senators to vote against the censure of President Andrew Jackson.[18]
Later life
Having served in public office for twenty-nine years continually, Hendricks returned to private life in Madison in 1839.
During his life he had gathered a large estate which he returned to manage and to also practice law. Being a large landholder in the Madison area, he built many homes and leased them to individuals. In his later years he was criticized for not wanting to sell them, and was accused of behaving in an aristocratic fashion in that regard.[15][19]
On May 16, 1850, while he was overseeing the construction of his family vault, he suddenly became ill. He died the same day and was buried in the Fairmount Cemetery.
In his obituary the Indiana Gazetteer said:
"Governor Hendricks was for many years by far the most popular man in the State. He had been its sole representative in Congress for six years, elected on each occasion by large majorities, and no member of that body, probably, was more attentive to the interests of the State he represented, or more industrious in arranging all the private or local business entrusted to him. He left no letter unanswered, no public office or document did he fail to visit or examine on request; with personal manners very engaging, he long retained his popularity."[20]
See also
References
Notes
- Thomas Hendricksbecause it was inaccurate.
- ^ Jennings served as representative of the Indiana Territory
- ^ a b c d Gugin, p. 53
- ^ a b Woollen, p. 51
- ^ Woollen, p. 53
- ^ "Re: HENDRICKS, THOMAS A., Indi - Genealogy.com".
- ^ William Hayden English (1896). Conquest of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio 1778-1783. and Kansas City, Mo., The Bowen-Merrill company. pp. 941–944.
- ^ a b c Gugin, p. 54
- ^ Woolen, p. 51
- ^ a b c Gugin, p. 55
- ^ Woollen p. 52
- ^ a b Gugin, p. 56
- ^ A Sketchbook of Indiana History, by Arville L. Funk, 1964
- ^ Holcombe, John Walker; Skinner, Hubert (1886). Life and Public Services of Thomas A. Hendricks. Indianapolis: Carlon and Hollenbeck. pp. 30–31.
- ^ a b c Gugin, p. 57
- ^ Wollen, p. 52
- ^ Woollen, p. 158
- ^ "Voteview | Plot Vote: 23rd Congress > Senate > Vote 21". voteview.com. UCLA Social Sciences Division Department of Political Science. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Woollen, p. 58
- ^ Woollen, p. 54
Bibliography
- English, William Hayden (1896). Conquest of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio 1778-1783. and Kansas City, Mo., The Bowen-Merrill company.
- 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.