Robert Allen New (1789 – June 20, 1856) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

and

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 ...

who served as the 1st non-Territorial

Secretary of State of Indiana The Secretary of State of Indiana is one of five constitutional officers originally designated in Indiana's State Constitution of 1816. Since 1851, it has been an elected position. The Secretary of State oversees four divisions, and is the third ...

from November 7, 1816 to December 6, 1825.

Biography

Early life

Robert New’s father was

Jethro New Jethro New (September 20, 1757 – 1825) was an 18th-century American frontiersman and Continental Army soldier during the American Revolutionary War, at one time serving as an aide to General George Washington. He was a prominent settler in North ...

, a

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

soldier from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

who moved first to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and then to Owen County,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, near New Liberty, in 1794. Robert was one of his thirteen children. Jethro New’s descendants formed one of Indiana’s most prominent political dynasties. Robert New was the uncle of

John C. New John Chalfant New (July 6, 1831 – June 4, 1906) was a United States banker and lawyer who held a variety of government positions. He was Treasurer of the United States from 1875 to 1876. Biography John C. New was born on July 6, 1831 in Vernon ...

(

Treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage produc ...

under

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, son of John Bowman New) and

Jeptha D. New Jeptha Dudley New (November 28, 1830 – July 9, 1892) was a U.S. Representative from Indiana. He was the grandson of Jethro New, nephew of Robert A. New, brother of John C. New, and uncle of Harry Stewart New. Born in Vernon, Indiana, New was ...

(

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 ...

from Indiana, son of Hickman New), and he was the great-uncle of

Harry Stewart New Harry Stewart New (December 31, 1858 – May 9, 1937) was a U.S. politician, journalist, and Spanish–American War veteran. He served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee, a United States senator from Indiana, and United States P ...

(

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Indiana and

U.S. Postmaster General The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

under Warren Harding and

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

, son of John C. New). The News were a Primitive Baptist family. The News left Kentucky and resettled in Indiana. Robert New joined the Indiana Militia and attained the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1814. In 1815, New became aide-de-camp to Thomas Posey, the

Governor 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 ...

of Indiana Territory.

Political career

In 1816, when Indiana attained statehood, New was elected the first

by the newly-formed Indiana General Assembly, defeating the other contender for the position, Alexander Holton, by a vote of twenty-three to eleven. New was a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

. He served in the administrations of Governors

Jonathan Jennings Jonathan Jennings (March 27, 1784 – July 26, 1834) was the first governor of Indiana and a nine-term congressman from Indiana. Born in either Hunterdon County, New Jersey, or Rockbridge County, Virginia, he studied law before migrating to the ...

Ratliff Boon Ratliff Boon (January 18, 1781 – November 20, 1844) was the second Governor of Indiana from September 12 to December 5, 1822, taking office following the resignation of Governor Jonathan Jennings' after his election to Congress. A prominent pol ...

, William Hendricks, and

James B. Ray James Brown Ray (February 19, 1794 – August 4, 1848) was an Indiana politician and the only Indiana Senate president pro tempore to be elevated to governor of the state of Indiana. Ray served during a time when the state transitioned from per ...

. New succeeded Territorial Secretary of State John Gibson. New was succeeded to the office of Secretary of State in December 1825 by

William W. Wick William W. Wick (February 23, 1796 – May 19, 1868) was a U.S. Representative from Indiana and Secretary of State of Indiana. He was a lawyer and over his career he was a judge for 15 years. President Franklin Pierce appointed him Postmaster of ...

Personal life and death

In 1819, while serving as Secretary of State, New founded Corydon

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

with local newspaper editor, R. W. Nelson. The seminary taught Greek,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

. In 1821, New moved with the rest of his family to Vernon. New was an associate and ally of Davis Floyd, a politician who was involved with the Burr conspiracy and the

Indiana Canal Company The Indiana Canal Company was a corporation first established in 1805 for the purpose of building a canal around the Falls of the Ohio on the Indiana side of the Ohio River. After several attempts, and possible sabotage by a supporter of the Louisv ...

. New died in 1856. He is buried at Hebron Cemetery in Monroe Township, Jefferson County.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New, Robert 1789 births 1856 deaths Secretaries of State of Indiana Indiana Democratic-Republicans People from Vernon, Indiana Baptists from Indiana