Coles Bashford

Coles Bashford ( born January 24, 1816 in Cold Spring, New York, † April 25, 1878 in Prescott, Arizona ) was an American politician and from 1856 to 1858, the fifth Governor of the State of Wisconsin.

Early years

Bashford attended Wesleyan University in Lima (New York). After a subsequent study of law and qualifying as a lawyer, he started in the town of Clyde his new profession exercise. Between 1857 and 1850 he was district attorney in Wayne County. In 1850 Bashford moved to Wisconsin and settled in Algoma, which is a district of Oshkosh is today, as a lawyer. At that time, Bashford was a member of the Whig party. Between 1851 and 1855 he sat in the Senate from Wisconsin. Around the same time, the Whigs disbanded and Bashford was one of the founders of the Republican Party in Wisconsin that made him their top candidates for the forthcoming gubernatorial election in 1855. His opponent was the scandal-plagued incumbent William A. Barstow.

Despite the allegations of corruption leveled against him William Barstow resigned in 1855 for re-election as governor of. The first election result saw Barstow by a margin of 157 votes as election winner before Bashford. It soon became clear that this outcome was the result of election fraud. The Republicans called on the Supreme Court to protest against this approach, while Barstow was introduce in his second term. Now there were protests against the governor, who mobilized his supporters. Almost there would have been a civil war in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court upheld the action. Since Barstow was not willing to give up, the conflict escalated. However, under the general pressure he was forced to resign on March 21, 1856 after all. Until the formal establishment of Bashford Lieutenant Governor Arthur MacArthur had to serve for four days. On March 25, Bashford was then officially assume his new office.

Governor of Wisconsin

As governor also Bashford quickly came under suspicion of corruption. In connection with the allocation of land to a railway company he be bribed with stocks and money. Even members of parliament and even a judge of the Supreme Court were involved in the affair. All written evidence was burned by the parties. As a consequence of this scandal Bashford was not nominated for the office of the governor. So that his term of office ended on 4 January 1858. 's Worth noting that under his government with William Noland the first African American was elected to public office.

Further CV

Much like its predecessor, Barstow also Bashford for his offense was not held accountable. He could work as a lawyer initially continued, before he was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to the Minister of Justice of the Arizona Territory in December 1863. This office he held until 1866. Between 1867 and 1869 he represented the Territory as a delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. He had held from 1869 to 1876 as Secretary of State in Arizona His last political office. He died in 1878. Coles Bashford was married to Frances Adams Foreman, with whom he had seven children.