Seabury Ford (October 15, 1801 – May 8, 1855) was a Whig politician from Ohio. He served as the 20th governor of Ohio and was the last Whig to serve as governor.
Seabury Ford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20th Governor of Ohio | |
| In office January 22, 1849 – December 12, 1850 | |
| Preceded by | William Bebb |
| Succeeded by | Reuben Wood |
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the Geauga County district | |
| In office December 7, 1835 – December 5, 1841 Serving with four others | |
| Preceded by | Lewis Dille Lester Taylor |
| Succeeded by | John P. Converse |
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the Cuyahoga & Geauga counties district | |
| In office December 6, 1841 – December 3, 1843 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Lord |
| Succeeded by | Moses Kelley |
| In office December 1, 1845 – December 5, 1847 | |
| Preceded by | Moses Kelley |
| Succeeded by | Franklin T. Backus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 15, 1801 Cheshire, Connecticut |
| Died | May 8, 1855 (aged 53) Burton, Ohio |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse | Harriet E. Cook |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
Early life
editFord was born in Cheshire, Connecticut and moved to Burton, Ohio with his parents in 1804. He studied at Burton Academy, and then graduated from Yale University.[1] While at Yale, he was elected by his classmates as class "bully", a term of honor for the physically strongest man in the class.[2]
Career
editFord graduated from Yale in 1825, returned to Ohio, and read law under the direction of his uncle, Judge Peter Hitchcock. He commenced the practice of law in 1827.[3][4] While practicing law, Ford became involved in the state militia and was promoted to the rank of major general.[5] Ford married Harriet E. Cook of Burton in 1828.[3]
In 1835, Ford was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives from Geauga County. He held this position three times, and served as speaker for one term.[5] From 1841 to 1848, he served in the Ohio State Senate.[4]
After serving in the General Assembly, Ford was elected to the governorship in late 1848, by a margin of 311 votes out of nearly 300,000 cast. Ford served only a single term before returning home. His term was marred by fighting in a highly partisan Assembly that was divided over issues related to slavery and the Mexican–American War, as well as by a cholera epidemic that swept through Columbus.
Death
editOn the first Sunday after his retirement, Ford suffered a stroke and was stricken by paralysis, from which he never recovered.[3] He died at his home in Burton in 1855 when he was 53 years old.[3][4] Ford is interred at Welton Cemetery in Burton, Ohio.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Seabury Ford". The Ohio Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ Upton, Harriet Taylor (1910). Cutler, Harry Gardner (ed.). History of the Western Reserve. Vol. 1. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 313.
- ^ a b c d The History of Champaign county, Ohio: ... Chicago: W H Beers. 1881. p. 167.
- ^ a b c Ryan, Daniel J (1888). A History of Ohio with Biographical Sketches of her Governors and the Ordinance of 1787. Columbus, Ohio: A H Smythe. pp. 181–182.
- ^ a b c "Ohio Governor Seabury Ford". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 13, 2012.