Chester Ashley, U.S. Senator

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Ashley

Chester Ashley (June 1, 1790 – April 29, 1848) was an American politician who represented Arkansas in the U.S. Senate from 1844 until his death.

Ashley was born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1790; while a child he moved with his parents to Hudson, New York. He was a graduate, with honors, of Williams College; following this, he took a course in law in Litchfield, Connecticut. Ashley moved west upon completion of his education, going first to Illinois, and thence to Missouri. In 1820 he arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas, soon becoming one of the best and most prominent lawyers in the Arkansas Territory; for a time, his partner in practice was Robert Crittenden. Together, Ashley and Crittenden founded Rose Law Firm.

For some twenty years Ashley's practice was the largest in the state, and he became a wealthy man. This led him to try his hand at politics; in 1844 he canvassed the state campaigning for James K. Polk for president; the Democrats were victorious, and Ashley was elected by the state legislature to fill a vacancy in the Senate. Soon after entering, he was made the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; in 1846, he was reelected to the Senate. Two years later he was taken suddenly ill in the Senate Chamber and died not long after.

Chester Ashley is the namesake of Ashley County, Arkansas.

HONERABLE CHESTER8 ASHLEY (WILLIAM7, STEPHEN6, JOSEPH5, SAMUEL4, DAVID3, ROBERT2, WILLIAM1) was born June 01, 1791 in Amherst, Massachusetts, and died April 29, 1848 in Washington, D.C.. He married MARY WORTHINGTON WATKINS ELLIOTT July 04, 1821 in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, daughter of BENJAMIN ELLIOTT and FRANCES PANCA. She was born March 1798, and died May 25, 1865 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Children of CHESTER ASHLEY and MARY ELLIOTT are: i. GENERAL WILLIAM ELLIOTT9 ASHLEY, b. August 06, 1823, Little Rock, Arkansas; d. August 16, 1868, Little Rock, Arkansas.

 	ii. 	  	FRANCES ANN ASHLEY, b. January 03, 1825, Little Rock, Arkansas; d. Unknown; m. REVERENED ANDREW FREEMAN, December 04, 1850; d. Unknown.

 	iii. 	  	MARY VAN ALSTYNE ASHLEY, b. October 13, 1826, Little Rock, Arkansas; d. April 24, 1828, Little Rock, Arkansas.

 	iv. 	  	CHESTER POMEROY ASHLEY, b. June 26, 1828, Little Rock, Arkansas; d. August 12, 1836, Arkansas. 	v. 	  	CAPTAIN HENRY CHARLES ASHLEY, b. March 07, 1831, Little Rock, Arkansas; d. January 23, 1873, Little Rock, Arkansas.

 	vi. 	  	MARY VAN ALSTYNE ASHLEY, b. February 20, 1833, Little Rock, Arkansas; d. September 30, 1834, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Source: http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/a/s/h/Denise-L-Ashley/GE...