Ashbel P. Willard

Ashbel Parsons Willard (born October 20, 1820 in Oneida County , New York , † October 3, 1860 in Saint Paul , Minnesota ) was an American politician and from 1857 to 1860 the eleventh governor of the state of Indiana .

Early years and political advancement

Ashbel Willard attended Hamilton College in Clinton until 1842 and then studied law. It finally came to New Albany , Indiana, via Michigan , Texas and Kentucky in 1844 . At this point he was campaigning for the Democratic presidential candidate James K. Polk . Willard decided to settle in New Albany and practice law there. Between 1851 and 1852 he was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives . In 1852 he was elected lieutenant governor of the state. So he was between 1852 and 1857 the deputy of Governor Joseph Wright . In 1856 Willard took over his office after winning the election against Oliver P. Morton , the candidate of the Know-Nothing Party , with 51.3 percent of the vote.

Indiana Governor

Willard took up his new office on January 12, 1857. His term in office was overshadowed by a controversy with parliament over government spending. The governor advocated austerity measures to keep the budget under control. Parliament's spending policy forced the governor to take out a loan to pay the interest on the outstanding national debt. Willard on the other hand, according to his short biography in the Indiana Historical Bureau, was an alcoholic who got health problems as a result and therefore drove to Minnesota to recuperate, where he then died. Other sources refer to the visit to Minnesota as a diplomatic mission to reconcile the states on the eve of the American Civil War. In any case, Willard died in Saint Paul in October 1860; he wasn't even 40 years old. He was married to Caroline C. Cook, with whom he had three children. His brother-in-law John Cook was involved in John Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry and was hanged for it. Willard tried to free him himself, but Cook refused. Willard showed understanding for the attitude of the South in the run-up to the Civil War and was quite alone in Indiana.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Willard, Ashbel P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Willard, Ashbel Parsons (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	October 20, 1820
PLACE OF BIRTH	Oneida County , New York
DATE OF DEATH	October 3, 1860
Place of death	Saint Paul , Minnesota