William Blackstone Hubbard (August 26, 1795 – January 5, 1866) was a politician, railroad president, banker and Masonic Grand Master in the U.S state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Youth and legislative career

William B. Hubbard was born in

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

on August 26, 1795. His parents were Bela and Naomi (Stow) Hubbard. The Stows were an old

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

family. He received a thorough education and read law with his maternal uncle, Silas Stow. He was admitted to the New York bar, and moved to St. Clairsville,

Belmont County, Ohio Belmont County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 66,497. Its county seat is St. Clairsville. The county was created on September 7, 1801, and organized on November 7, 1801.McKelvey, ...

in 1816. Hubbard was Belmont County Prosecuting Attorney for several years and was then elected to the

Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

for the 26th and 27th General Assemblies, serving 1827 to 1829. In February 1830, a bill he had drafted titled "An Act to incorporate the Ohio Canal and Steubenville Railroad Company" was passed. This was the first railroad legislation in Ohio, and came before a railroad with steam powered locomotive was operational anywhere. In 1831, Hubbard was elected to the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

for the 30th General Assembly and he was re-elected to the 31st, serving 1831 to 1833. For the 30th General Assembly, he was elected

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

. He was said to have "presided over the deliberations of that body with distinguished dignity and capability". He was originally a Whig and later became a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Life in Columbus

Hubbard was the president of the bank in St. Clairsville when he moved to

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

in 1839. He was named president of the Exchange Bank of Columbus, and organized and was president of the First National Bank of Columbus. He was president of the

Columbus and Xenia Railroad The Columbus and Xenia Railroad was a railroad which connected the city of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, with the town of Xenia, Ohio, Xenia in the U.S. state, state of Ohio in the United States. Construction began in October 1847, and the line opened ...

, and was a director or official of other rail companies. He was a trustee of

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

from 1834 to 1865. He was consulted on financial matters by

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

when he was

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 ...

and

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

Masonic activities

On a visit to New York, Hubbard received his Master Mason degree at Rising Sun Lodge No. 125 on September 12, 1821. He was admitted to Belmont Lodge No. 16 at St. Clairville on October 17, 1821. He became a member of

Zanesville, Ohio Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capita ...

Chapter No. 9, Royal Arch

Masons Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...

on August 26, 1822. In 1841 Hubbard was knighted in Lancaster Encampment. In 1842 he was elected Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Ohio. He was General Grand Master of the General Grand Encampment of the United States for twelve years beginning in 1847. He was Grand Master of the

Grand Lodge of Ohio The Grand Lodge of Ohio, formally known as the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Ohio, is the governing body of the largest group of Masonic lodges in Ohio (the next largest being the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio). The G ...

1850, 1851, and 1852.

Personal

Hubbard married Mary Margaret Johnston of St. Clairsville on January 2, 1817. They had eight or nine children. He died at Columbus on January 5, 1866. He was buried at Green Lawn Cemetery.

Notes

References

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External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, William Blackstone Ohio University trustees Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives Ohio state senators People from St. Clairsville, Ohio 1795 births 1866 deaths Businesspeople from Columbus, Ohio Burials at Green Lawn Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio) Masonic Grand Masters County district attorneys in Ohio 19th-century American railroad executives American bankers 19th-century American legislators Politicians from Columbus, Ohio Members of the Ohio House of Representatives