David Wallace (politician)

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David Wallace

David Wallace (born April 4, 1799 in Mifflin County , Pennsylvania , † September 4, 1859 in Indianapolis , Indiana ) was an American politician and between 1837 and 1840 the sixth governor of the state of Indiana.

Early years and political advancement

David Wallace was the older brother of William Henson Wallace , who was a US Congressman and Governor in the Washington Territory and later in the Idaho Territory . He grew up in Ohio after his family moved , where he also attended elementary school. He then moved to Brookville , Indiana. In 1821 he graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point . Until 1822 he taught mathematics at this military school. Then he returned to Indiana where he studied law. In 1824 he was admitted to the bar, after which he began to practice as such. At the same time he was a member of the Indiana National Guard, in which he made it to colonel.

Between 1828 and 1831 Wallace sat as a deputy in the House of Representatives from Indiana and in 1831 and 1837 he was under Governor Noah Noble as lieutenant governor as his deputy. On August 7, 1837 he was elected as the Whigs candidate for the new governor, with 55.5 percent of the vote against the Democrat John Dumont.

Indiana Governor

David Wallace began his three-year term on December 6, 1837. These three years were overshadowed by a severe economic crisis that broke out in 1837 and shook the entire nation. In Indiana, infrastructure improvement efforts stalled and economic difficulties escalated. For the country this means a huge setback after the advances made in the previous two decades. It is also worth mentioning that in 1838 the Potawatomi Indians were expelled from Indiana and brought to the Kansas Territory .

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure, Wallace practiced as a lawyer in Indianapolis, before he moved to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC for two years in 1841 . After his time in Congress , he returned to law. In 1850 he was a member of a convention to revise the Indiana constitution. He served as a judge in a Marion County court between 1856 and his death in 1859 . David Wallace was married twice and had a total of seven children, including their son Lew (1827-1905), the author of the novel Ben Hur and Territorial Governor of the New Mexico Territory .

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personal data
SURNAME Wallace, David
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH April 4, 1799
PLACE OF BIRTH Mifflin County , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH September 4, 1859
Place of death Indianapolis , Indiana