Mordecai Bartley

Mordecai Bartley (born December 16, 1783 in Fayette County , Pennsylvania , † October 10, 1870 in Mansfield , Ohio ) was an American politician and from 1844 to 1846 the 18th governor of the state of Ohio.

Early years and political advancement

Mordecai Bartley attended local schools in his homeland. Around 1809 he moved to Mansfield, Ohio, where he worked as a trader and farmer. During the British-American War of 1812 he served intermittently on the staff of General William Henry Harrison . After the war he continued to pursue his business interests. From 1817 he was also politically active. At that time he was elected to the Ohio Senate, where he remained until 1818. Between 1818 and 1823 he was the administrator of the school properties in his home district. From 1823 to 1831 he represented his state in the US House of Representatives in Washington .

Between 1831 and 1844 Bartley devoted himself more to his private business. Politically, he was an opponent of Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party . Hence he was a member of the Whigs . His son Thomas , who was also politically active in Ohio, was a Democrat. In 1844, Thomas Bartley, then President of the Senate, became governor of Ohio through the resignation of incumbent Wilson Shannon . In the upcoming gubernatorial election this year, Mordecai Bartley was nominated by the Whigs as their top candidate. There was almost a campaign between father and son, but Thomas Bartley narrowly missed the Democratic nomination. Mordecai Bartley won the election and succeeded his son as the new governor, a constellation that is unique in Ohio to this day.

Governor of ohio

Mordecai Bartley took office on December 3, 1844. During his two-year tenure, the state's banking system and tax law were reformed. The outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846 put Bartley in a difficult position. He was personally an opponent of the war. After the outbreak of war, however, he supported the federal government under President James K. Polk and ensured that the Ohio quotas for soldiers were met.

Bartley declined to run again in 1846, retired from politics after the end of his tenure and moved to Mansfield, where he pursued his business interests until his death in 1870. He was married to Elizabeth Welles, with whom he had the aforementioned son Thomas.

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personal data
SURNAME	Bartley, Mordecai
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	December 16, 1783
PLACE OF BIRTH	Fayette County , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH	October 10, 1870
Place of death	Mansfield , Ohio