William Meade Fishback

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William Meade Fishback (born November 5, 1831 in Jefferson , Virginia , † February 9, 1903 in Fort Smith , Arkansas ) was an American politician and between 1893 and 1895 governor of Arkansas.

Early years

Fishback studied at the University of Virginia until 1855 . After studying law and moving to Illinois , he was admitted to the bar in 1857. A year later he came to Greenwood, Arkansas, where he ran a law firm with Judge Solomon F. Clerk. When the question of the secession of Arkansas arose in 1861 , Fishback spoke out in favor of remaining in the Union. After the majority of the state opted for secession, Fishback left the state. In 1863 he returned to the country with the Union Army. He then published the Union-friendly newspaper "Unconditional Union". Then he recruited about 900 men for the Union Army. As a colonel, he himself became the commander of this unit.

Political rise

In 1864 he was appointed the new US Senator in Arkansas . In Washington, however, it was not accepted because Arkansas had not yet officially been re-accepted into the Union. In 1874 he was a delegate to Congress that revised the state's constitution. Between 1871 and 1881 Fishback was an MP in the Arkansas House of Representatives . There he made an amendment to the constitution (Fishback Amendment), which forbade the state to repay certain bonds. In 1892, Fishback was elected a Democratic Party candidate for governor of Arkansas.

Arkansas Governor

Fishback's two-year term began on January 8, 1893. During this time, the governor devoted himself primarily to the external appearance of Arkansas. The State Exhibition offered a good forum for this. He did not make any important political decisions during his tenure.

Another résumé

At the end of his uneventful tenure, Fishback was a lawyer at Fort Smith. There he died of a stroke in 1903. He was married to Adelaide Miller, with whom he had five children.

literature

  • Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 1, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Fishback, William Meade
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fishback, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician, governor of Arkansas
DATE OF BIRTH November 5, 1831
PLACE OF BIRTH Jefferson , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH February 9, 1903
Place of death Fort Smith , Arkansas