Obituary of Governor Elisha Baxter, Independence Co, Ar

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Submitted by: Paul V.Isbell < >
        Date: 1 May 2011
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Obituary: Ex-Governor Elisha Baxter of Arkansas died at his home in Batesville,
Ark. yesterday. He was born in Rutherford Co., N. Carolina on Sep. 1, 1827. His
education was received in the public schools of his native county. He removed to
Arkansas when a young man, and soon rose to prominence in that state. He became
Mayor of Batesville in 1853. In 1854 and again in 1858, he was elected a member
of the Legislature. When war was declared between the States he took part on the
Union side, and was promoted in 1863 to the Colonelcy of the Fourth Ark. Mounted
Infantry. At the end of the war he was elected United States Senator, but was
not permitted to take his seat on ground that his state had not then been
legally reconstructed. From 1868 to 1872 he was Judge of the Third Judicial
District of Arkansas, and in the spring of 1872 he was nominated for Governor by
the wing of the Republican party which supported Gen. Grant, the Liberal, or
Greeley, wind nominating Joseph Brooks. There was no Demcratic nomination, and
they generally favored Brooks. This election led to one of the most bitter
conflicts of the reconstruction period. The vote was canvassed by the General
Assembly, and Baxter was declared elected. Brooks alleged that fraud had been
practiced at the polls, and appealed, unsuccessfully, to the Legislature, The
United States Circuit Court, and to the State Supreme Courts, and, in the
absence of counsel for Baxter, obtained a judgement against him, and proceeded
to eject him forcibly from office. The quarrel between the candidates for the
Governorship spread rapidly to their adherents throughout the entire state. Many
took up arms to support the cause of one or the other. There was even some
bloodshed, but more was prevented and order restored by the timely arrival of
Federal troops. Both parties then appealed to the President, but Gen. Grant
refused to interfere until he had the opinion of his Attorney General. Although
the vote had been canvassed Jan. 6, 1873, it was not till May 15, 1874, that the
President’s decision settled the dispute. The decision favored Baxter, and
Brook’s faction immediately disbanded. In a message to Congress Feb. 8, 1875,
Gen. Grant expressed the deliberate opinion, however that Brooks had been
legally elected. Baxter held the office until the adoption of the new State
Constitution, in the autumn of 1874. He had been declared elected for the full
term of four years, and the new Constitution reduced the term to two years. The
Republicans, despite the fact that even the President had acknowledged that his
decision, which seated Baxter in an office to which he had not been elected, was
an error, urged Baxter to hold on the office for two more years, or for the full
term of four years. This he refused to do. His subswequent life was uneventful.
New York Times, Jun. 3, 1899. - Bio: Tenth Governor of Arkansas, 1873 - 1874.
The 1872 gubernatorial election was between two Republicans, Baxter and Joseph
Brooks. Baxter won the official count, but Brooks contested the outcome. After
Baxter was inaugurated, a circuit judge ruled that Brooks had been elected and
was the rightful governor. Skirmishes erupted between the two camps in what was
known as the Brooks - Baxter War. At least fifty deaths occurred during the
conflict. President Grant ultimately intervened and sided with Baxter. The
Brooks forces disbanded, leaving Baxter to complete his term. A new state
constitution in 1874 brought about the end of Reconstruction in Arkansas, and
the end of Baxter's political career. Born Sep. 1, 1827 Died May 31, 1899 Buried
Oaklawn Cemetery, Batesville, Ark.

Extracted from:
New York Times via Ancestry. com and Wikipedia