James Sevier Conway (December 9, 1796 – March 3, 1855) was an American politician who served as the first

governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

from 1836 to 1840.

Early life

James Sevier Conway was born on December 4, 1796, in

Greene County, Tennessee Greene County is a county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 70,152. Its county seat is Greeneville. Greene County comprises the Greeneville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Are ...

, to Thomas and Ann ( Rector) Conway. Conway's father was born in

Pittsylvania County, Virginia Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 60,501. Chatham is the county seat. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical Ar ...

, in 1771. His paternal ancestors originated in

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Thomas employed private tutors to teach his seven sons and three daughters. In 1818, the family moved to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, where Conway learned the art of land surveying from his uncle William Rector, surveyor-general in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. In 1820, Conway resigned a

Cole County, Missouri Cole County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, its population was 77,279. Its county seat and largest city is Jefferson City, the state capital. The county was organized November 16, 1820 and n ...

, circuit clerk's position to serve as deputy-surveyor in the newly established

Arkansas Territory The Arkansas Territory was a territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1819, to June 15, 1836, when the final extent of Arkansas Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas. Arkansas Post was the first territo ...

, where he purchased a tract of land in Hempstead (present-day

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

) County. While living there, Conway met Mary Jane Bradley, who had migrated with her family from

Wilson County, Tennessee Wilson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 147,737. Its county seat is Lebanon. The largest city is Mt. Juliet. Wilson County is part of the Nashville-Davidson ...

. They were married December 21, 1825, and had ten children, five of whom died in infancy or early childhood.

Political career

In 1832, Conway became the surveyor-general in Arkansas Territory and served in that position until 1836. He was the elected to the new office of governor when

became a state in 1836. His administration focused on developing schools and roads. He ordered the militia to patrol the western frontier and worked to have the federal arsenal built at Little Rock. He worked to get funding for a state penitentiary. He pressed the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

for establishment of a state library and university but was unsuccessful. Conway left office in 1840 and returned to Laffayette County where he served three nonconsecutive terms as postmaster.

Death and legacy

Conway died from the complications of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

on March 3, 1855. His remains were interred in the Conway Cemetery (present-day

Conway Cemetery State Park Conway Cemetery Historic State Park, officially the Conway Cemetery State Park, is the final resting place of James S. Conway, first governor of Arkansas, and his wife, Mary J. Conway. It is a Arkansas state park in Lafayette County. No rec ...

), near

Bradley, Arkansas Bradley is a city in Lafayette County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 628 at the 2010 census. Geography Bradley is located in southern Lafayette County at (33.098580, -93.657434). It sits at the intersection of Arkansas Highway ...

. He helped establish Lafayette Academy in Greene County, Tennessee. Present-day

Conway, Arkansas Conway is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, located in the state's most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. Although considered a suburb of Little Rock, Conway is unusual in that ...

, is named after him.

References

External links

; Official
Conway Cemetery State Park
; General information *
James Sevier Conway
at

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...

James Sevier Conway
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, James Sevier * 1798 births 1855 deaths 19th-century American politicians American people of Welsh descent American slave owners American surveyors Arkansas postmasters Burials in Arkansas Deaths from pneumonia in Arkansas Conway-Johnson family Deaths in Arkansas Democratic Party governors of Arkansas Farmers from Arkansas Methodists from Arkansas People from Cole County, Missouri People from Greene County, Tennessee People from Lafayette County, Arkansas People from St. Louis Politicians from Hot Spring County, Arkansas Politicians from Pulaski County, Arkansas

Early life

Political career

Death and legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links