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 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 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 and finishing with about 48% of the vote. In 1876, Barton was sheriff of Rice County, Minnesota, during the failed attempt of the James–Younger Gang to rob a bank in Northfield. On July 19, 1879, he was nominated by the Greenback Party 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 Morristown is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 987 at the 2010 census. History Morristown was platted in 1855, and named for Walter Morris, a pioneer settler. Geography According to the United States Census ...

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