William Meade Fishback (November 5, 1831February 9, 1903) was the 17th Governor of

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 O ...

and U.S. Senator-elect for

Early life

Fishback was born in

Jeffersonton, Virginia Jeffersonton is an unincorporated community in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. Jeffersonton is north-northeast of Culpeper. History Jeffersonton was platted in 1798 and was named for Thomas Jefferson. Notable residents * William Mead ...

, in

Culpeper County, Virginia Culpeper County is a county located along the borderlands of the northern and central region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 52,552. Its county seat and only incorporated community is Culp ...

, the son of Sophia Ann (Yates) and Frederick Fishback. He graduated with a law degree from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

in 1855.

Career

In 1857, Fishback moved to Springfield, Illinois, where he was admitted to the bar and briefly practiced law. During his time in Springfield, he came into contact with

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and handled foreclosure proceedings for his firm, Lincoln & Herndon. He moved to the frontier region of Sebastian County, Arkansas in 1858 and began practicing in Greenwood shortly thereafter. In 1861, Fishback was elected to the Arkansas Secession Convention as a pro-Union delegate. After the convention voted in favor of secession, he fled to Missouri and took an oath of allegiance to the Union. Fishback followed the Union army back into Arkansas in 1863 and was appointed

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the 4th Arkansas Cavalry (USA). He raised 900 soldiers, although his efforts to restore Arkansas into the Union prevented him from leading the regiment. Upon his return to Arkansas, Fishback established a pro-Union newspaper called ''The Unconditional Union,'' urging voters to ratify the new state constitution that abolished slavery and repudiated secession. In December 1863, he represented 17-year-old David Owen Dodd, who was convicted of spying. Fishback and

Elisha Baxter Elisha Baxter (September 1, 1827May 31, 1899) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 10th governor of Arkansas from 1873 to 1874. Early life and career Baxter was born in Forest City, North Carolina. He sought and obtained a ...

were selected to represent Arkansas in the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

in 1864, but their admission was blocked in February 1865 as Arkansas had not yet been readmitted into the Union. After serving as a federal treasury agent following the conclusion of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Fishback returned to Sebastian County, reopened a law office in Fort Smith and spent the next decade building his practice into one of the most prosperous in western Arkansas. Fishback was a delegate to the 1874 Arkansas Constitutional Convention. He served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1871 to 1881. He introduced what came to be known as the "Fishback Amendment", now known as Amendment 1 (codified as Article 20) of the Arkansas Constitution. This amendment prohibited the state authorities from paying the Holford railroad aid and levee bonds. Failure to pay the Holford debt created credit problems for the state that lasted well into the 20th century. On September 5, 1892, Fishback was elected Governor of Arkansas. Fishback's administration focused on changing the national image of the state. During his term, the St. Francis River levee district was formed. Fishback served as governor until 1895 when he left public office and worked attempting to attract business to the state.

Death

Fishback died of a stroke. Fishback is buried at Oak Cemetery in

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

References

External links

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Governor William Meade Fishback, National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fishback, William Meade Democratic Party governors of Arkansas Democratic Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives People of Arkansas in the American Civil War United States Army officers 1831 births 1903 deaths People from Culpeper County, Virginia People from Greenwood, Arkansas University of Virginia School of Law alumni 19th-century American politicians