Stephen P. Hempstead
Encyclopedia
Biography
Hempstead moved to the Iowa territory, and was active in politics in the years leading up to Iowa's gaining statehood. Hempstead represented the northern parts of Iowa in the Territorial Legislature at Burlington, IowaBurlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
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Hempstead represented Dubuque County in the Iowa constitutional convention in 1846. Hempstead was subsequently elected as governor in 1850. In 1851, he helped write the laws which would form the basis of the Iowa code.
After his term as governor was finished, Hempstead then was elected as a judge in Dubuque County. He held this position for 12 years, from 1855 to 1867. Hempstead died on February 16, 1883 in Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, were he was interred in Linwood Cemetery
Linwood Cemetery (Dubuque)
Linwood Cemetery is located in Dubuque, Iowa. It is located on Windsor Avenue in the north end of Dubuque.The cemetery is one of the main cemeteries in Dubuque. Originally established for the Protestants of the city, the cemetery now serves members of all faiths...
. In the late 1960s, the city of Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
honored Hempstead by naming its second public high school after him.