James Whitcomb
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| James Whitcomb | |
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Eighth Governor of Indiana
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| In office December 6, 1843 – December 26, 1848 |
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| Preceded by | Samuel Bigger |
| Succeeded by | Paris C. Dunning |
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| In office December 5, 1830 – December 4, 1831 |
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| In office December 5, 1832 – December 4, 1836 |
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| In office March 3, 1849 – October 4, 1852 |
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| Born | December 1, 1795 Windsor County, Vermont |
| Died | October 4, 1852 New York City, New York |
| Political party | Democrat |
James Whitcomb (December 1, 1795–October 4, 1852) was a Democrat United States Senator and governor of Indiana. He died of a chronic disease in 1852.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
James Whitcomb was born in Windsor County, Vermont on December 1, 1795. While still a boy his family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where they farmed land. Whitcomb loved to read books and many times his father would discourage him from reading hoping he we become a farmer. He moved to Bloomington, Indiana in 1824.[1] Whitcomb was noted as a heavy user of snuff cigarettes.[2]
[edit] Public life
Whitcomb served as prosecuting attorney for Monroe County, Indiana (1826-1829); a member of the Indiana Senate (1830-1831 and 1832-1836); and Commissioner of the General Land Office (1836-1841, appointed by President Andrew Jackson). Upon resigning from the Land Office in 1841, Whitcomb moved to Terre Haute, where he eventually launched his campaign as the Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
In 1843 he authored a pamphlet entitled "Facts for the People" in which he made a case against the federal government adopting protective tariffs. That year he was nominated be the Democrat candidate for governor. He defeated incumbent Samuel Bigger in a close election Upon his election he found the government coffers nearly empty as the state had exhausted itself in the last administration in an attempt to recover from overspending on internal improvements in the 1830s. His administration oversaw the transfer of state debt from the state to through the privatization of the canal and railroads to private companies. [3]
It was under his governorship that the Indiana Hospital for the Insane, the Indiana Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, and the Indiana Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, were founded. Whitcomb was also responsible for meeting the military quotas set forth for Indiana during the Mexican-American War. For his role as a wartime governor, a bronze statue of Whitcomb would be placed in Monument Circle in Indianapolis.
Whitcomb was only briefly married. He was wed to the widow Martha Ann Hurst. She died shortly after giving birth to his daughter Claudia Whitcomb on July 17, 1847.[4]
Whitcomb was a very active Mason. He was the first man knighted in Indiana. The honor was conferred upon him May 20, 1848. He organized a masonic lodge which for several years met in his home. He was always proud of his relationship with the Masons.[5]
In 1849 he was elected by the legislature to become a member of the United States Senate and he did not seek reelection as governor. He he served in the Senate from 1849 until his death in 1852. He became chronically diseased and sought medical treatment in New York City.[6] He died in in New York City on October 4 1862. His remains where returned to Indianapolis where he was buried in the Greenlawn Cemetery.[7]
James Whitcomb Riley was named after him.
[edit] References
- ^ Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 84
- ^ Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 88
- ^ The History of the State of Indiana, By William Henry Smith, 719-720
- ^ Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 92
- ^ Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 92
- ^ The disease was "Gravel" according to Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 85
- ^ Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana, By William Wesley Woollen, Pg 85
[edit] External links
- Biography and Portrait from Indiana State Library
- Profile from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- [http://visions.indstate.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/vchs&CISOPTR=648 Biographical profile written by Mike McCormick for First Financial Bank in Wabash Valley Profiles
| Preceded by Samuel Bigger |
Governor of Indiana December 6, 1843 – December 26, 1848 |
Succeeded by Paris C. Dunning |
| Preceded by Edward A. Hannegan |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Indiana 1849–1852 Served alongside: Jesse D. Bright |
Succeeded by Charles W. Cathcart |
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