Elisha Baxter
Encyclopedia
Elisha Baxter was the tenth Governor of the State of Arkansas
.
. Baxter received an appointment to the United States Military Academy
but his father would not allow him to attend.
In 1852 Baxter moved to Arkansas and opened a business that soon failed. He joined the Whig party and was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1854. He studied law and, in 1856, was admitted to the Arkansas bar. He was reelected to the Senate in 1858 and served two terms for Independence County leaving in 1860.
At the start of the American Civil War
Baxter refused to fight for the Confederacy
and attempted to flee to Missouri
. He was captured and tried for treason
. He escaped north and joined the 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry (USA) and served as colonel
of that regiment.
In 1864 he was appointed as Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in the Reconstruction government. The state legislature elected him and Andrew Hunter
to the US Senate in 1868, but he was not seated due to disenfranchisement of the southern states. From 1868 to 1872 he served as a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court.
In 1872 he was elected Governor of Arkansas over Joseph Brooks
in a controversial election that led to the Brooks-Baxter War
. Baxter was physically removed from the governor's office by Brooks and state militia loyal to him. Baxter was not restored to the governorship until a month later.
During his term a new constitution was formed which shortened his term and returned voting rights to ex-Confederates. Baxter declined to accept the 1874 nomination for governor and was the last Republican governor to be elected in Arkansas until Winthrop Rockefeller
in 1967.
After leaving office Baxter returned to his farm near Batesville, Arkansas
. He ran for a position in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1878 but was unsuccessful.
Elisha Baxter died in Batesville, Arkansas
and is buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Batesville, Arkansas.
Baxter County, Arkansas
was named after Elisha Baxter.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Biography
Elisha Baxter was born in Rutherford County, North CarolinaRutherford County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,899 people, 25,191 households, and 17,935 families residing in the county. The population density was 112 people per square mile . There were 29,535 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...
. Baxter received an appointment to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
but his father would not allow him to attend.
In 1852 Baxter moved to Arkansas and opened a business that soon failed. He joined the Whig party and was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1854. He studied law and, in 1856, was admitted to the Arkansas bar. He was reelected to the Senate in 1858 and served two terms for Independence County leaving in 1860.
At the start of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Baxter refused to fight for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and attempted to flee to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He was captured and tried for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. He escaped north and joined the 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry (USA) and served as colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of that regiment.
In 1864 he was appointed as Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in the Reconstruction government. The state legislature elected him and Andrew Hunter
Andrew Hunter (Methodist preacher)
Andrew Hunter was a noted Methodist preacher, sometimes referred to as "The Father of Methodism in Arkansas."-Biography:Hunter was born in Antrim, Ireland and came to the United States with his parents when he was two years old. The family settled in Pennsylvania where Hunter received a...
to the US Senate in 1868, but he was not seated due to disenfranchisement of the southern states. From 1868 to 1872 he served as a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court.
In 1872 he was elected Governor of Arkansas over Joseph Brooks
Joseph Brooks
Joseph Brooks was a Republican politician in Arkansas after the Civil War. He is mainly remembered for losing the 1872 gubernatorial race in Arkansas and then leading a coup d'état, now referred to as the Brooks–Baxter War, in 1874.-Early life:Joseph Brooks was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and worked...
in a controversial election that led to the Brooks-Baxter War
Brooks-Baxter War
The Brooks–Baxter War was an armed conflict in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the United States, in 1874 between factions of the Republican Party over the disputed 1872 election for governor...
. Baxter was physically removed from the governor's office by Brooks and state militia loyal to him. Baxter was not restored to the governorship until a month later.
During his term a new constitution was formed which shortened his term and returned voting rights to ex-Confederates. Baxter declined to accept the 1874 nomination for governor and was the last Republican governor to be elected in Arkansas until Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller was a politician and philanthropist who served as the first Republican Governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was a third-generation member of the Rockefeller family.-Early life:...
in 1967.
After leaving office Baxter returned to his farm near Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 9,556...
. He ran for a position in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1878 but was unsuccessful.
Elisha Baxter died in Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 9,556...
and is buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Batesville, Arkansas.
Baxter County, Arkansas
Baxter County, Arkansas
Baxter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is in the northern part of the state, and shares a border with Missouri. It is commonly referred to as the Twin Lakes Area because it is bordered by two of Arkansas' largest lakes, Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake...
was named after Elisha Baxter.
External links
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Elisha Baxter