David Wallace | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 6th Governor of Indiana | |
| In office December 6, 1837 – December 9, 1840 | |
| Lieutenant | David Hills |
| Preceded by | Noah Noble |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Bigger |
| 6th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana | |
| In office December 7, 1831 – December 6, 1837 | |
| Governor | Noah Noble |
| Preceded by | Milton Stapp |
| Succeeded by | David Hills |
| Indiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1828–1831 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 | |
| Preceded by | William W. Wick |
| Succeeded by | John W. Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1799-04-24)April 24, 1799 |
| Died | September 4, 1859(1859-09-04) (aged 60) Crown Hill Cemetery and Arboretum |
| Resting place | Crown Hill Cemetery and Arboretum Sec 3, Lot 10 39°49′03″N86°10′23″W / 39.8176127°N 86.1730399°W /39.8176127; -86.1730399 |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Esther French Test Zerelda Gray Sanders |
| Children | 10, includingLew Wallace |
| Profession | soldier, attorney, politician, judge |
David Wallace (April 24, 1799 – September 4, 1859) was thesixth governor of the US state ofIndiana. ThePanic of 1837 occurred just before his election and the previous administration, which he had been part of, had taken on a largepublic debt. During his term the state entered a severe financial crisis that crippled the state's internal improvement projects. He advocated several measures to delay the inevitableinsolvency of the state. Because of his connection to the internal improvement platform, his party refused to nominate him to run for a second term. The situation continued to deteriorate rapidly and led to state bankruptcy in his successor's term. After his term as governor, he became a congressman, then chairman of the IndianaWhig party before becoming a state judge, a position he held until his death.
David Wallace was born inMifflin County, Pennsylvania, on April 24, 1799, the oldest of the seven children of Andrew and Eleanor Wallace. His father was a surveyor and tavern owner who became close friends withWilliam Henry Harrison while the two served together in theWar of 1812. The family benefited from Harrison's patronage. Wallace's brother,William H. Wallace, was appointed as the fourth governor of theWashington Territory and first governor of theIdaho Territory;[1] another brother,John M. Wallace, was appointedIndiana Adjutant General.[2]
His family moved toOhio and settled nearCincinnati when he was a young boy. Wallace later attendedMiami College before his family again moved toBrookville, Indiana, in 1817. With the help of Harrison, Wallace secured entrance into theUnited States Military Academy. He graduated from West Point in 1821 and served as a lieutenant ofartillery and taught mathematics at the school, but resigned his commission after about a year in the service.[1] He later served as acaptain andcolonel in the 7th Regiment, Indiana Militia.[3]
When Wallace left the army he returned to his family in Brookville. There he began to study law in the office of Judge Miles C. Eggleston, and was admitted to the bar in 1823. He entered into a practice with CongressmanJohn Test and married to his daughter, Esther French Test on November 10, 1824.[4] They had four children together, one of whom wasLew Wallace, author of the novelBen-Hur: A Tale of the Christ andGovernor ofNew Mexico Territory. He is also the father ofEdward Wallace, who fought in theMexican-American war and theAmerican Civil War. In 1836, after the death of his first wife, David marriedZerelda Gray Sanders, a leader in the temperance movement, and together they had six children.[5]
His brother,William H. Wallace (1811–1879), also became active in politics, serving as aU.S. Representative fromIdaho Territory andWashington Territory, first governor of Idaho Territory, and fourth governor of Washington Territory.
In 1828, Wallace was elected to theIndiana House of Representatives, where he served until 1831, when he was elected thesixth Lieutenant Governor on theWhig ticket withNoah Noble. As Lieutenant Governor he led the debate in the state senate to create theBank of Indiana and gained a reputation as a skilled orator. Wallace was an outspoken advocate of the state's internal improvement projects, and painted a rosy picture of the state's situation during his campaign for governor. His family moved toCovington during his term.[3]
During his second term as Lieutenant Governor, the state passed theMammoth Internal Improvement Act. Although it was at first extremely popular, it had soon become apparent to state leaders that it was leading the state to financial ruin. The problem was not fully evident when Wallace ran for governor in 1837, but was a small part of his election campaign. He was elected largely because of his prior support to the improvement act, which the public still supported, and his support from the popular governor Noah Noble.[6]
Wallace's term as governor was marred by thePanic of 1837 and years of economic uncertainty which followed. Indiana had been enjoying a period of internal improvements of roads and canals, but nearly all such projects ended during this financial crisis. He was able to help arrange the state's finances to delay the inevitable bankruptcy of the state. The deficit only worsened, and by the end of his term, the state's income only covered 20% of its expenditures—interest on the massive state debt being over two-thirds of the budget. The last year of his term, work on all the projects was halted. Wallace delivered an address to the General Assembly to inform them that the works were almost entirely worthless in their present condition and the state's credit had been exhausted. He informed the legislature that the state would be insolvent in the following year.[7]
The last of theIndian removals in Indiana occurred during Wallace's term, and only the few unwilling to leave voluntarily remained in the state. The1833 Treaty of Chicago with thePotawatomi led to their removal. Wallace ordered General and U.S. SenatorJohn Tipton toremove the band of 859 Potawatomi from the vicinity ofPlymouth, Indiana, and send them to theKansas Territory. Forty-two Potawatomi, mostly children, died from disease and the stress of the two-month march in what became known as the"Trail of Death".[7]
During his term, Wallace set the date Indiana would observeThanksgiving. On November 4, 1839, he issued anexecutive order making November 28 Thanksgiving Day. Wallace claimed to have done so at the request of representatives from different state churches.[8]
By the end of his term, the impending financial disaster was becoming apparent to the state's residents. Seeking to break away from failing projects, the Whigs moved against projects and nominatedSamuel Bigger to run for governor, denying Wallace and his pro-internal improvement position a spot on the Whig ticket. Wallace then returned to his law practice.[9]
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After his term as governor, Wallace was elected in 1841 to theU.S. House of Representatives from the Indianapolis district, defeating Nathan B. Palmer. While in Congress he supported federal spending on the development of thetelegraph, for which he was ridiculed by his opponents, but was later vindicated by the success of the technology.[10] Wallace failed in his attempt for reelection in 1843, being defeated byWilliam J. Brown who won by 1,085 votes.
Wallace returned to Indiana where he became chairman of the state's Whig party in 1846. He served as a member of Indiana's constitutional convention in 1850–1851. His name is only mentioned nine times in the convention records and unlike the other former governors who attended, he did not play a major role in the convention. Wallace then became a judge of theCourt of Common Pleas ofMarion County from 1856 until his death.[9]
Wallace died suddenly, without having been ill, on September 4, 1859, in Indianapolis, Indiana and is buried inCrown Hill Cemetery.[11]
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Bibliography
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Whig nominee forGovernor of Indiana 1837 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Indiana 1831 – 1837 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Indiana December 6, 1837 – December 9, 1840 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 6th congressional district 1841–1843 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
