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Historical records matching William Fishback, Governor
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About William Fishback, Governor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Meade_Fishback
William Meade Fishback (November 5, 1831 – February 9, 1903) was the 17th Governor of Arkansas and U.S. Senator-Elect for Arkansas.
Biography
Fishback was born in Jeffersonton, Virginia, in Culpeper County, Virginia. He graduated with a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1855. He moved to Illinois where he was admitted to the bar in 1857.
Career
In 1858, Fishback moved to Greenwood, Arkansas. In 1861, he was elected to the Arkansas Secession Convention as a pro-Union delegate. Fishback established a pro-Union newspaper called The Unconditional Union in 1863. In December 1863, he represented 17 year-old David Owen Dodd, who was convicted of spying. During the American Civil War, he raised 900 troops for the 4th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (USA) and served as Colonel.
He was selected to represent Arkansas in the United States Senate in 1864, but was not allowed to take his seat, as Arkansas had not yet been readmitted to the Union.
Fishback was a delegate to the 1874 Arkansas Constitutional Convention. He served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1871 to 1881. Fishback introduced what came to be known as the "Fishback Amendment", now known as Amendment 1 (codified as Article 20) of the Arkansas Constitution. This amendment prohibited the state authorities from paying the Holford railroad aid and levee bonds. Failure to pay the Holford debt created credit problems for the state that lasted well into the 20th century.
On September 5, 1892, Fishback was elected Governor of Arkansas. Fishback's administration focused on changing the national image of the state. During his term, the St. Francis River levee district was formed.
Fisbhack served as governor until 1895 when he left public office and worked attempting to attract business to the state.
Death
Fishback died of a stroke. Fishback is buried at Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith, Arkansas.[3]
Quotation
While Governor, Fishback declared:
"Houses of ill-fame are necessary to city life, if you close these sewers of men's animal passions you overflow the home and spread disaster."[4]
GEDCOM Note
Posted by "pooregrammy" to the Germanna Rootsweb mail list on 8/13/2003: "Source Information: Ancestry.com online database - Pictorial History of Arkansas Up to 1890. Original source: Hempstead, Fay. A Pictorial History of Arkansas from Earliest Times To the Year 1890. St. Louis and New York: N. C. Publishing. 1890. Sebastian County - page 1107: 'Hon. W. M. Fishback has been a resident of Sebastian county the most of the time since 1858. He was born in Jefferson, Culpepper (sic), Virginia, November 5, 1831, and was educated at the University of Virginia. After leaving college he taught school and read law. In 1857 he went to Illinois, but remained there only a year, when he came to Arkansas, and located in Greenwood. He was elected to the Convention of 1861 as a Union man. When the war began he went north, returning to Little Rock in 1864, being shortly afterwards elected to the Legislature under the Murphy Government. In 1865 he was appointed Special Agent of the Treasury Department. After this he returned to Sebastian county and located at Fort Smith, where he now resides. In 1872, 1876, 1878 and 1884 he was a Member of the Legislature, and in 1874 a Member of the Constitutional Convention, and a prominent candidate for Governor in 1888.' "
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Wikipedia (as of 28 Jan 2017; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Meade_Fishback):
"On September 5, 1892, Fishback was elected Governor of Arkansas. Fishback's administration focused on changing the national image of the state. During his term, the St. Francis River levee district was formed. Fisbhack served as governor until 1895 when he left public office and worked attempting to attract business to the state."
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Find-A-Grave:
William Meade Fishback Birth 5 Nov 1831 •Jefferson, Powhatan County, Virginia, USA (no source cited for this location) Death 9 Feb 1903 •Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, USA Family Members Spouse Adelaide Miller Fishback* 1845-1882 Children Louis Frederick Fishback* 1867-1958 Bertha Ward Fishback Wheless* 1869-1957 William Meade Fishback* 1873-1956 Mazie Fishback Reed* 1880-1960 Burial Oak Cemetery • Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, USA Memorial ID 20855
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William Fishback, Governor's Timeline
| 1831 |
November 5, 1831
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Culpeper County, Virginia
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| 1869 |
1869
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| 1878 |
1878
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| 1903 |
February 9, 1903
Age 71
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Fort Smith, Arkansas
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Governor of Arkansas
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