1. William Hendricks was a Democratic-Republican member of the House of Representatives from 1816 to 1822, the third governor of Indiana from 1822 to 1825, and an Anti-Jacksonian member of the US Senate from 1825 to 1837.
35 Facts About William Hendricks
1. 2.
William Hendricks led much of his family into politics and founded one of the largest political families in Indiana.
3.
William Hendricks was the uncle of Thomas Andrews Hendricks, who was Governor of Indiana and Vice President of the United States.
4.
William Hendricks's father was a prominent man in the community and a state legislator.
5.
William Hendricks was the brother of Thomas Hendricks and John Hendricks, the uncle of Vice President Thomas Andrews Hendricks, and the father of William Hendricks Jr.
6.
William Hendricks attended a common school in Ligonier Valley where he was a classmate of Jonathan Jennings and William W Wick, who later became his close political allies.
7.
William Hendricks studied law with him a short time and was admitted to the bar.
8.
William Hendricks remained there until he was admitted to the bar.
9.
William Hendricks later used his printing press to print the first codification of Indiana state laws during his term as governor.
10.
William Hendricks was the daughter of Colonel John Paul, who was the founder of Madison.
11.
In February 1813 William Hendricks was elected clerk of the territorial legislature in Vincennes.
12.
In 1814 William Hendricks was chosen to succeed Pennington and became speaker of the legislative assembly.
13.
William Hendricks received several lucrative positions from the territorial government, including being appointed prosecutor of several eastern counties.
14.
William Hendricks was appointed by President James Madison as US Attorney for the entire territory.
15.
William Hendricks was again in party with Jonathan Jennings, Dennis Pennington, and others seeking to institute a constitutional ban on slavery.
16.
That same year William Hendricks was elected as the only Indiana representative, defeating former territorial governor Thomas Posey.
17.
William Hendricks's election occurred shortly before Indiana's statehood had been approved by Congress and there was a brief debate about the legality of seating him when he arrived in Washington, DC, but the situation was resolved in his favor.
18.
William Hendricks was reelected three times, serving from December 11,1816, until the 17th Congress when he resigned July 25,1822.
19.
William Hendricks supported legislation to fund the construction of the National Road, which would connect Indiana with the eastern states.
20.
William Hendricks supported several measures to fund other minor road and canal projects, but was unsuccessful.
21.
William Hendricks was a proponent of rapidly granting statehood to the western states, and delivered several speeches urging the statehood of Illinois and Missouri.
22.
In 1822 William Hendricks ran unopposed for the position of Governor of Indiana and succeeded Jonathan Jennings; Jennings in turn succeeded William Hendricks in his congressional seat.
23.
William Hendricks was the last governor to serve while the capital remained in Corydon.
24.
William Hendricks codified Indiana's laws for the first time in 1822, creating the Indiana Code.
25.
Governor William Hendricks, hoping to maintain peace and enforce justice for the tribe, ordered the murderers to be captured and tried.
26.
Governor William Hendricks had denied his appeal for clemency and used the execution to show the natives his goodwill.
27.
On February 14,1825, William Hendricks resigned his position as Governor to become a United States senator after being elected to that position by the legislature, defeating Chief Justice Isaac Blackford.
28.
Back in Congress in 1825, William Hendricks was an Anti-Jacksonian, supporting federal funding for western internal improvements.
29.
William Hendricks chaired the committee on roads and canals from 1831 until 1837 and joined fellow Indiana congressman Ratliff Boon in support of federal funding for the Wabash and Erie Canal in the Senate.
30.
William Hendricks failed in his attempt to be reelected to his seat in the Senate in 1836.
31.
William Hendricks served in the Senate from March 4,1825, to March 3,1837, after having lost the election in 1836 to Whig Oliver H Smith.
32.
William Hendricks served as a trustee on the Indiana University Board from 1829 to 1840.
33.
William Hendricks died the same day and was buried in the Fairmount Cemetery.
34.
William Hendricks had been its sole representative in Congress for six years, elected on each occasion by large majorities, and no member of that body, probably, was more attentive to the interests of the State he represented, or more industrious in arranging all the private or local business entrusted to him.
35.
William Hendricks left no letter unanswered, no public office or document did he fail to visit or examine on request; with personal manners very engaging, he long retained his popularity.