Henry E. Asp (1856–1923) was an attorney and politician who was instrumental in the founding of the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
.
Early life
Asp was born in
New Boston, Illinois
New Boston is a city in Mercer County, Illinois, United States on the Mississippi River. The population was 683 at the 2010 census, up from 632 at the 2000 census.
History
New Boston was settled in the 1830s by "Yankee" migrants from Massachusett ...
, on January 1, 1856. His Swedish-born parents, John Henry and Christina App, died while he was still young, so Henry was raised by a guardian, George L. Coe, who took him to
Winfield, Kansas
Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College.
Hi ...
, where he grew up and learned the trades of making bricks and wooden pails. Disliking these as career choices, he studied law under the direction of the Webb & Torrance law firm, and was admitted to the Kansas bar in 1877. While living in Winfield, he married Nellie Mae Powers, and they had one son, Alfred Alonzo.
[Wilson, Linda D. "Asp, Henry E." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.](_blank)
Accessed August 11, 2018.
Move to Oklahoma Territory
In July 1890, the Asps moved to Guthrie, the capital of the newly created
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...
, where he became a lobbyist and solicitor for the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...
. In 1892, Asp and two other Guthrie lawyers, John W. Shartel and James R. Cottingham, became partners in a law firm, handling some of the many land disputes arising after the
Land Run of 1889
The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was the first land run into the Unassigned Lands of former Indian Territory, which had earlier been assigned to the Creek and Seminole peoples. The area that was opened to settlement included all or part of Canad ...
. After most of the land cases were settled in the middle 1890s, Asp spent most of his time representing people who had moved to the Territory because it had more lenient divorce laws than the surrounding states.
Asp also saw an opportunity when the Territorial Legislature provided for a Territorial university to be established in Norman. He handled most of the legal work during the formative years and was soon appointed to its board of trustees. In 1893, he and the school's new president, David R. Boyd, collaborated to obtain federal legislation to provide that section thirteen of each township be set aside for higher education. This was successful, and in gratitude, Norman named streets near the Oklahoma University campus for each of them.
Preparing for statehood
In 1906, Asp spent seven months in Washington D. C.lobbying for Oklahoma statehood, after the proposal to create a state of Sequoyah failed. He also used his rising political influence to ensure that the 1906 Enabling Act provided for his hometown of Guthrie become the capital of the new state. When he returned home, he was elected to the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention as representative from the 25th district. He was also named to several important committees (notably, the Judiciary Committee) and was named Minority Leader for the convention. He had become highly respected by the Democratic Party leaders, especially
William H. Murray and
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell (March 13, 1860 – July 5, 1933) was an American lawyer, oilman, and politician who was the first governor of Oklahoma. As a delegate to Oklahoma's constitutional convention in 1906, he played a crucial role in draftin ...
.
Move to Oklahoma City
In 1912, Asp moved his home from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. There, he established the law firm of Asp, Snyder, Owen, and Lybrand. and died on July 1, 1923, in Oklahoma City, following an unidentified surgery a week earlier.
Notes
References
Further reading
* John P. Gilday and Mark H. Salt, eds., ''Oklahoma History: South of the Canadian, Historical and Biographical, Vol. 1'' (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1925).
*
* Orben J. Casey, ''And Justice for All: The Legal Profession in Oklahoma'', 1821-1989, ed.
Odie B. Faulk
Odie B. Faulk (born August 26, 1933, Winnsboro, Texas) is a historian who specializes in the history of the U.S. Southwest. Credited with writing or co-authoring more than fifty books, he is a professor emeritus of history at Northeastern Oklahom ...
(Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Heritage Association, 1989).
External links
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Asp, Henry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asp, Henry
1856 births
1923 deaths
People from Mercer County, Illinois
People from Winfield, Kansas
People from Guthrie, Oklahoma
Politicians from Oklahoma City
University of Oklahoma people
Oklahoma lawyers
Lawyers from Oklahoma City
U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
19th-century American lawyers
People from Oklahoma Territory