Asahel Wheeler Hubbard (January 19, 1819 – September 22, 1879) was an American attorney, businessman, politician, and jurist who served as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Iowa's 6th congressional district Iowa's 6th congressional district is a former U.S. congressional district in the State of Iowa. It existed in elections from 1862 to 1992, when it was lost due to Iowa's population growth rate being lower than that of the country as a whole. T ...

from 1863 to 1869.

Early life and education

Born in

Haddam, Connecticut Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,452 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was also home to the now-decommissioned Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. History Haddam, in Middlesex County, is locate ...

, Hubbard attended local public schools. He also pursued his studies at a select school in Middletown, Connecticut.

Career

Hubbard began his career as a stonecutter. He moved to

Rushville, Indiana Rushville is a city in Rushville Township, Rush County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,341 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Rush County. It, like the county, was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Rush, who signe ...

, in 1838, where he was employed as a book agent and taught school. He studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1841 and commenced practice in Rushville. He served as member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. In 1857, he moved to

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

, and engaged in the

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

business. He served as judge of the fourth

judicial district A judicial district or legal district denotes the territorial area for which a legal court (usually a district court) has jurisdiction. By region Europe Austria In texts concerning Austria, "judicial district" (german: Gerichtsbezirk) refers ...

from 1859 to 1862. In 1862, after the 1860 United States Census caused Iowa's seats in the U.S. House to increase from two to six, Hubbard became the first Congressman to represent Iowa's 6th congressional district. Re-elected twice, he served in the Thirty-eighth, Thirty-ninth, and Fortieth Congresses. He was influential in securing legislation which hastened the building of several lines of

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

through his district, besides securing to

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

a branch of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

.Benjamin F. Gue, " History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century," Vol. 4 (Asahel W. Hubbard), p. 137(1902). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1868. In all, he served in Congress from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1869. Hubbard was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Sioux City in 1871, and served as its president until January 15, 1879. He also had interests in railroad building in Iowa and in a mining property in Leadville, Colorado.

Personal life

He was the father of Iowa Congressman Elbert H. Hubbard. He died in Sioux City on September 22, 1879. He was interred in Floyd Cemetery. In 1880, Hubbard, Nebraska, was named in honor of Asahel W. Hubbard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Asahel Wheeler 1819 births 1879 deaths People from Haddam, Connecticut Members of the Indiana House of Representatives Indiana lawyers Iowa state court judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers