Ashton Cokayne Shallenberger (December 23, 1862 – February 22, 1938) was an American Democratic

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and the 15th Governor of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

from 1909 to 1911.

Early life and education

Shallenberger was born in

Toulon, Illinois Toulon is a city in Stark County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,292 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stark County. Toulon is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the northwestern terminu ...

, on December 23, 1862. He was educated in the public schools and attended the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universit ...

. He was married to Eliza Zilg in 1885 and they had two children.

Career

After a move to

Stromsburg Stromsburg is a city in Polk County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,028 as per the 2020 census. History Stromsburg was settled early in Nebraska history. A group of Swedish settlers from the town of Ockelbo arrived in the 1860 ...

Polk County, Nebraska Polk County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 5,214. Its county seat is Osceola. The county was formed in 1856, and was organized in 1870. It was named for President James K. Polk. ...

, in 1881, Shallenberger became a clerk, a banker and a rancher. He moved to

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...

Harlan County, Nebraska Harlan County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 3,073. Its county seat is Alma. The county is home to the Harlan County Reservoir. In the Nebraska license plate system, Harlan C ...

, in 1887 and founded the Bank of Alma. He was first elected to the

57th United States Congress The 57th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1901, to ...

but failed to be reelected in 1902. According to Southwest Virginia folklore, in 1902 Shallenberger, Alma Journal editor H. S. Wetherald, and carriage dealer Frank Griggsby, were startled by the apparition of a

Woman in Black ''The Woman in Black'' is a 1983 gothic horror novel by English writer Susan Hill. The plot concerns a mysterious spectre that haunts a small English town. A television film based on the story, also called ''The Woman in Black'', was produced ...

. His first attempt at the Governorship came in 1906, running under a Fusion label of the state Democratic and Populist parties, where he lost to Republican

George L. Sheldon George Lawson Sheldon (May 31, 1870 – April 4, 1960) was an American politician and 14th governor of Nebraska with service from 1907 until 1909. He was the first native of his state to become its governor. He was a Republican from the pr ...

. He was then elected governor in 1908, defeating Sheldon in a narrowly won rematch. Shallenberger served from 1909 to 1911, his tenure included the adoption of the State Guarantee of Deposits Law and the "Oregon Plan", a direct primary bill regarding the election of United States Senators. He lost an attempt at a second term in 1910, losing in the Democratic primary to

James Charles Dahlman James Charles Dahlman (December 15, 1856 – January 21, 1930), also known as Jim Dahlman, Cowboy Jim and Mayor Jim, was elected to eight terms as mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, serving the city for 20 years over a 23-year-period. A German-America ...

. Unsuccessful in running for

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from Nebraska in 1912, Shallenberger was elected a congressman to the 64th and 65th congresses (1915–1919), but was unsuccessful in being reelected to the 66th in 1918. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1920, and was elected to the 68th, 69th, and 70th congresses from 1923 to 1929. Unsuccessful in being reelected to the 71st in 1929, but was successful in running for the 72nd and 73rd (1931–1935). He failed to be renominated in 1934, and returned to banking and breeding

shorthorn The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late eighteenth century. The breed was developed as dual-purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however, certain blood lines within the breed always emp ...

cattle. Shallenberger was one of four governors (three of Nebraska, one of Wyoming) to come from the city of

Osceola, Nebraska Osceola is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 880 as of the 2010 census. History According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the first settlers of Osceola, which included the families of R ...

Death

Shallenberger died on February 22, 1938, and is interred at Alma Cemetery, in

Alma, Nebraska Alma is a city in Harlan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,133 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Harlan County. History Alma was founded in the spring of 1871 by a group of Union Pacific railroad laborers original ...

References

External links

* * * * * * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shallenberger, Ashton Cokayne 1862 births 1938 deaths People from Toulon, Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni People from Stromsburg, Nebraska People from Alma, Nebraska Democratic Party governors of Nebraska Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska People from Osceola, Nebraska