E-text prepared by Shannon Seyler
by
John L. Ferguson
State Historian
Arkansas History Commission
Little Rock
1970
This list of Arkansas governors and United States senators, withbrief biographies of each person who has served in these offices, isintended to benefit students and others who have expressed interest ina published summary of such information. We have omitted the dozens of"acting governors," including some who served for substantial periodsof time, as well as senators who held office only briefly. Copies ofthis publication are free, and the material is not copyrighted orrestricted.
On March 2, 1819, Arkansas was legally separated from Missouri andbecame the Territory of Arkansas. The act became effective on July 4following. During the territorial period the governors were appointedby the President of the United States, with the approval of the UnitedStates Senate, for terms of three years.
1. James Miller, 1819-1824
Lawyer, soldier. Born in New Hampshire, 1776. Educated at Amherst
Academy and Williams College, Massachusetts. Admitted to bar, 1803.
Married Martha Ferguson, 1801; two children. Married Ruth Flint, 1806;
five children.
Commissioned major of infantry in regular army, 1808. Lieutenantcolonel, 1810; colonel, 1812; brigadier general, 1814. Hero of Battleof Lundy's Lane, Canada, 1814. Received Congressional gold medal forgallantry, 1814. Resigned from army, 1819.
Governor of Arkansas, 1819-1824. United States collector of customs,
Salem, Massachusetts, 1824-1849. Died 1851.
2. George Izard, 1825-1828
Soldier. Born in England, 1776. Attended military schools in England,Germany, and France. Commissioned lieutenant in artillerists andengineers, United States Army, 1794. Captain, 1799. Resigned fromarmy, 1803. Married Elizabeth Carter Shippen, 1803; three children.
Accepted new commission as colonel of artillery, 1812. Brigadiergeneral, 1813; major general, 1814. Honorably discharged, 1815.Governor of Arkansas from 1825 until his death in 1828.
3. John Pope, 1829-1835
Lawyer. Born in Virginia, 1770. Married Ann Henry Christian, c.1795.
Married Elizabeth Johnson, 1810; two children. Married Frances Watkins
Walton, 1820.
State senator, Kentucky, 1798-1799, 1825-1829. Member, Kentucky Houseof Representatives, 1802, 1806-1807, 1823-1825. United States senatorfrom Kentucky, 1807-1813. Professor of law, Transylvania University,1813-1816. Secretary of State of Kentucky, 1816-1819. Governor ofArkansas, 1829-1835. Congressman from Kentucky, 1837-1843. Died 1845.
4. William S. Fulton, 1835-1836
Lawyer. Born in Maryland, 1795. Graduated from Baltimore College, 1813.Moved to Tennessee after serving in War of 1812. Admitted to bar, 1817.Military secretary to General Andrew Jackson in Florida campaign of1818. Moved to Alabama, 1820. Married Matilda Nowland, 1823; fourchildren.
Elected judge of county court, Florence, Alabama, 1822. Secretary
of Territory of Arkansas, 1829-1835. Last governor of Territory of
Arkansas, 1835-1836. United States senator from Arkansas, 1836-1844.
Died 1844.
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