Calvin C. Bliss

Calvin Comins Bliss (born December 22, 1823 in Calais , Washington County , Vermont , †  December 13, 1891 in Sweet Home , Arkansas ) was an American politician . Between 1864 and 1868 he was lieutenant governor of the state of Arkansas.

Career

Calvin Bliss attended the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution , now Colgate University, in Hamilton, New York State , until 1847 . However, he left this school prematurely - possibly because it prohibited political activities aimed at the abolition of slavery . He then worked in various positions in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut . He has also worked in the real estate and publishing industries.

In 1854, Bliss moved to Batesville , Arkansas with his wife Caroline, whom he had just married , where he worked for the land registry. He was a supporter of the Union and as such had a hard time at the beginning of the civil war in Arkansas, a state of the Confederation . When Union troops appeared in his homeland in 1862, Bliss joined them. But Batesville fell back to the Confederation and his family had to flee to the north while he was away from the military because they were severely threatened by their fellow Confederate citizens. In early 1864, Bliss took part as a delegate to a constitutional convention of Arkansas citizens loyal to the Union. In the new constitution, slavery was abolished and the state's declaration of withdrawal from the Union of 1861 was revoked. At that time, this constitution naturally only applied in parts of the state controlled by Union troops. Under this constitution, Calvin Bliss was elected the first lieutenant governor of Arkansas.

In 1865, Bliss brought his family back to Arkansas. In the meantime he also published a newspaper in Little Rock . Until 1868 he held the office of lieutenant governor, which was then abolished again. He then continued his previous activities, where he ran into financial difficulties several times. He died on December 13, 1891 in the village of Sweet Home, Pulaski County .

Web links

• Biography in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas (English)