Ashbel P. Willard

Ashbel Parsons Willard (* October 20, 1820 in Oneida County, New York, † October 3, 1860 in Saint Paul, Minnesota ) was an American politician and from 1857 to 1860, the eleventh Governor of the State of Indiana.

Early years and political rise

Ashbel Willard attended until 1842, Hamilton College in Clinton, and then studied law. Finally, Michigan, Texas and Kentucky in 1844 he came to New Albany in Indiana. At this time he was doing campaigning for the Democratic presidential candidate James K. Polk. Willard decided to settle in New Albany and to practice there as a lawyer. Between 1851 and 1852 he sat as an MP in the House of Representatives from Indiana. In 1852 he was elected Vice- Governor of the State. He was 1852-1857 the Deputy Governor Joseph Wright. 1856 took over Willard then his office after he had won the election against Oliver P. Morton, the candidate of the Know-Nothing Party, with 51.3 percent of the vote.

Governor of Indiana

Willard took up his new post on January 12, 1857. His tenure was overshadowed by a controversy with the Parliament, to government spending. The governor advocated a austerity measures to keep the budget under control. By spending the Parliament of the governor was forced to take out a loan in order to pay the interest on the outstanding government debts. Willard was on the other side according to his short biography in " Indiana Historical Bureau," an alcoholic who thus got health problems and therefore to Minnesota for recreation drove, where he died then. Other sources describe the visit to Minnesota as a diplomatic mission for the reconciliation of States on. the eve of the American Civil War in any case, Willard died in October 1860 in Saint Paul, .. , he was not even 40 years old he was married to Caroline C. Cook, with whom he had three children, his brother John Cook was at John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry involved and was hanged for it. Willard even tried to free him, but Cook refused. Willard prior to the civil War showed understanding for the attitude of the South and was thus in Indiana pretty much alone.