Ara Barton, sometimes listed as Asa Barton (April 12, 1824 – November 6, 1898) was an American politician from the state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Biography

Ara Barton was born in

Charlestown, New Hampshire Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2020 census, down from 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation As ...

in 1824, a small town near the border with

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. His father was Frye Barton (1790–1871) and his mother was Judith Powers (1790–1888). Barton moved to Minnesota in 1857 and was elected to the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

in 1859, however the elections in District 3 were contested due to charges of illegal votes, and their opponents were sworn in. He was later elected to the House in 1870. Barton ran for

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

in the 1873 election, losing to Republican

Cushman Kellogg Davis Cushman Kellogg Davis (June 16, 1838November 27, 1900) was an American Republican politician who served as the seventh Governor of Minnesota and as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota. Early life and American Civil War Davis was born in Henderson, Ne ...

and finishing with about 48% of the vote. In 1876, Barton was sheriff of

Rice County, Minnesota Rice County is a County (United States), county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 67,097. Its county seat is Faribault, Minnesota, Faribaul ...

, during the failed attempt of the

James–Younger Gang The James–Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of United States, American outlaws that revolved around Jesse James and his brother Frank James. The gang was based in the state of Missouri, the home of most of the members. Membership f ...

to rob a bank in Northfield. On July 19, 1879, he was nominated by the

Greenback Party The Greenback Party (known successively as the Independent Party, the National Independent Party and the Greenback Labor Party) was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology which was active between 1874 and 1889. The party ran ...

as their candidate for Governor, but declined the nomination five days later. However, in 1889, Barton wrote to Governor William R. Merriam in an attempt to pardon the Younger brothers. He died in Morristown, Minnesota on November 6, 1898, at the age of 74.

Personal life

Barton married Louisa J. Fish (1823–1890). They had four children: Marcus Dehart Barton, Inez Barton, Phineas W. Barton, and Ara P. Barton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Ara 1824 births 1898 deaths People from Charlestown, New Hampshire People from Faribault, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Minnesota sheriffs 19th-century American politicians