William Meade Fishback
William Meade Fishback | |
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James Paul Clarke | |
Personal details | |
Born | Jeffersonton, Virginia, U.S. | November 5, 1831
Died | February 9, 1903 Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S.[1] | (aged 71)
William Meade Fishback (November 5, 1831 – February 9, 1903) was a lawyer and politician who served as the
Early life
Fishback was born in Jeffersonton, Virginia, in Culpeper County, Virginia, the son of Sophia Ann (Yates) and Frederick Fishback.[2] He graduated with a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1855.[3]
Career
In 1857, Fishback moved to Springfield, Illinois, where he was admitted to the bar and briefly practiced law. During his time in Springfield, he came into contact with Abraham Lincoln and handled foreclosure proceedings for his firm, Lincoln & Herndon.[4]
He moved to the frontier region of Sebastian County, Arkansas in 1858 and began practicing in Greenwood shortly thereafter. In 1861, Fishback was elected to the Arkansas Secession Convention as a pro-Union delegate. After the convention voted in favor of secession, he fled to Missouri and took an oath of allegiance to the Union.
Fishback followed the
Fishback and Elisha Baxter were selected to represent Arkansas in the United States Senate in 1864, but their admission was blocked in February 1865 as Arkansas had not yet been readmitted into the Union. After serving as a federal treasury agent following the conclusion of the Civil War, Fishback returned to Sebastian County, reopened a law office in Fort Smith and spent the next decade building his practice into one of the most prosperous in western Arkansas.[6]
Fishback was a delegate to the 1874 Arkansas Constitutional Convention. He served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1871 to 1881. In 1885 he represented Sebastian County. His occupation was listed as farmer and his post office at Fort Smith.
On September 5, 1892, Fishback was elected Governor of Arkansas. Fishback's administration focused on changing the national image of the state. During his term, the St. Francis River levee district was formed. Fishback served as governor until 1895 when he left public office and worked to attract business to the state.
Death
Fishback died of a
References
- ISBN 9780813926063.
- ISBN 9781610751711.
- ^ "William Meade Fishback(1893-1895)". Old State House Museum. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "In the Wake of His Famed Senate Campaign Against Stephen A. Douglas, Abraham Lincoln Handles a Case for a Troublesome Client". The Raab Collection. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ "UVA Unionists (Part 1): William Meade Fishback". UVA John L. Nau Center for Civil War History. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ "William Meade Fishback (1831–1903)". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ 1885 Arkansas House composite photo caption
- ^ "William Meade Fishback (1831–1903)". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Retrieved August 17, 2012.