Ashbel P. Willard
| Ashbel Parsons Willard | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Indiana House of Representatives | |
|
In office December 5, 1850 – December 4, 1852 |
|
| 12th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana | |
|
In office January 10, 1853 – January 12, 1857 |
|
| Governor | Joseph A. Wright |
| Preceded by | James H. Lane |
| Succeeded by | Abram A. Hammond |
| 11th Governor of Indiana | |
|
In office January 12, 1857 – October 4, 1860 |
|
| Lieutenant | Abram A. Hammond |
| Preceded by | Joseph A. Wright |
| Succeeded by | Abram A. Hammond |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 31, 1820 Oneida County, New York. |
| Died | October 4, 1860 (aged 39) St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Alma mater | Hamilton College |
| Religion | Methodist |
Ashbel Parsons Willard (October 31, 1820–October 4, 1860) was state senator, the 12th Lieutenant Governor, and the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. His terms in office were marked by increasingly severe partisanship leading to the breakup of the state Democratic Party in the years leading up to the American Civil War. His brother-in-law was involved in John Brown's Raid and was executed. Willard went to the south to advocate unsuccessfully for his release, and became despised by southerners who accused him of having a secret involvement in the raid. He died two months before the start of the war while giving a speech on national unity, and was the first governor of Indiana to die in office.
Ashbel Parsons Willard was born on October 31, 1820 in Oneida County, New York, the son of Erastus and Sarah Parsons Willard. His father farmed and was the county sheriff. There he attended Hamilton College and studied law with Judge Barker. He moved to Marshall, Michigan in 1842 and lived there for about a year. In 1843 he made a trip to Texas on horseback and on his return stopped in Carrolton, Kentucky; he so liked the town he settled there for a year and became a local school teacher. After living there about a year there he moved again to Louisville, Kentucky where he continued teaching. In his spare time he read and studied.
In the 1844 election Willard, a Democrat, stumped all around the Louisville area and southern Indiana for James Polk who ultimately won the election. While on the stump the people of New Albany, Indiana so liked him that they invited him to come live in their community. He accepted their offer and moved there in the spring of 1845 and set up a law office. Finding there to be a lack of clients, he also worked for a time as a writer in the clerk's office to obtain extra income. He met Carline C. Cook, a town native, and was married to her in 1847. The couple had three children, but the oldest, Ashbel P. Willard Jr. died from scarlet fever at age three. New Albany remained Willard's home for the rest of his life.
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