Ira Joy Chase
| Ira Joy Chase | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 22nd Governor of Indiana | |
|
In office November 23, 1891 – January 9, 1893 |
|
| Lieutenant | Francis M. Griffin (acting) |
| Preceded by | Alvin Peterson Hovey |
| Succeeded by | Claude Matthews |
| 20th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana | |
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In office January 14, 1889 – November 23, 1891 |
|
| Governor | Alvin Peterson Hovey |
| Preceded by |
Alonzo G. Smith as Acting Lieutenant Governor |
| Succeeded by |
Francis M. Griffin as Acting Lieutenant Governor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 7, 1834 Monroe County, New York |
| Died | May 11, 1895 (aged 60) Lubec, Maine |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Rhoda Jane Castle |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1860–1861 |
| Rank | chaplain |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Ira Joy Chase (December 7, 1834 – May 11, 1895) was a veteran of the American Civil War, a leading member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a prominent Church of Christ evangelist, and the 22nd Governor of Indiana between November 23, 1891 and January 9, 1893.
Ira Joy Chase was born in 1834 in New York, the son of Benjamin and Lordina Mix Chase. His parents were poor, and spent much of his early life moving from place to place. He was educated at Medina Academy where he received a common education, and then attended the Milan Seminary to be trained as a minister. In 1855 his family moved to Barrington, Illinois. There he and his father took a job driving wagon teams in the Chicago stockyards. He soon found work as a teacher, where he met Rhoda Jane Castle. He married her and had three children before he joined the Union army at the start of the American Civil War. His health was frequently poor during the war, so he was removed from front-line duty and served as a drill instructor to prepare and train new recruits. His health still worsened and he was forced to spend several months in a military hospital. His wife heard of his situation and left their Illinois home to be with him in Tennessee. She was not permitted to remain in the hospital because she was civilian, so she joined the army as a nurse. As his health recovered, he returned to duty as a chaplain.
The day after they left to return home in 1864, she contracted smallpox. Chase spent several weeks nursing her back to health, but the virus left her blind and crippled. Chase opened a hardware store to try to support his family, but the community avoided contact with him for weeks after his wife's smallpox had gone; the lack of customers forced him to close the store. He began preaching in local churches, and gained popularity in the community for his sermons against liquor. In 1867 he moved to Indiana to become the minister of the Christian Church of Mishawaka, Indiana. He also pastored in churches in La Porte, Wabash, and Danville.
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