David Wallace | |
---|---|
6th Governor of Indiana | |
In office December 6, 1837 – December 9, 1840 |
|
Lieutenant | David Hills |
Preceded by | Noah Noble |
Succeeded by | Samuel Bigger |
6th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana | |
In office December 7, 1831 – December 6, 1837 |
|
Governor | Noah Noble |
Preceded by | Milton Stapp |
Succeeded by | David Hills |
Indiana House of Representatives | |
In office 1828–1831 |
|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th district | |
In office March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 |
|
Preceded by | William W. Wick |
Succeeded by | John W. Davis |
Personal details | |
Born | April 24, 1799 Lewistown, Pennsylvania |
Died | September 4, 1859 Indianapolis, Indiana |
(aged 60)
Political party | Whig |
Spouse(s) | Esther French Test Zerelda Gray Sanders |
Children | ten, notably Lew Wallace |
Profession | soldier, attorney, politician, judge |
David Wallace (April 24, 1799 – September 4, 1859) was the sixth Governor of the US state of Indiana. The Panic of 1837 occurred just before his election and the previous administration, which he had been part of, had taken on a large public debt. During his term the state entered a severe financial crisis that crippled the state's internal improvement projects. He advocated several measures to delay the inevitable insolvency of the state. Because of his connection to the internal improvement platform, his party refused to nominate him to run for a second term. The situation continued to detriorate rapidly and led to state bankruptcy in his successor's term. After his term as governor, he became a congressman, then chairman of the Indiana Whig party before becoming a state judge, a position he held until his death.
David Wallace was born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania on April 24, 1799, the oldest of the seven children of Andrew and Eleanor Wallace. His father was a surveyor and tavern owner who became close friends with William Henry Harrison while the two served together in the War of 1812. The family benefited from Harrison's patronage. Wallace's brother, William H. Wallace, was appointed as the fourth governor of the Washington Territory and first governor of the Idaho Territory.
His family moved to Ohio and settled near Cincinnati when he was a young boy. Wallace later attended Miami College before his family again moved to Brookville, Indiana in 1817. With the help of Harrison, Wallace secured entrance into the United States Military Academy. He graduated from West Point in 1821 and served as a lieutenant of artillery and taught mathematics at the school, but resigned his commission after about a year in the service. He later served as a captain and colonel in the 7th Regiment, Indiana Militia.