Ratliff Boon | |
|---|---|
 Posthumous portrait byJames Forbes (c.1870) | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1839 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas H. Blake |
| Succeeded by | George H. Proffit |
| In office March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827 | |
| Preceded by | Jacob Call |
| Succeeded by | Thomas H. Blake |
| 2nd Governor of Indiana | |
| In office September 12, 1822 – December 5, 1822 | |
| Lieutenant | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Jennings |
| Succeeded by | William Hendricks |
| 2nd and 3rdLieutenant Governor of Indiana | |
| In office December 5, 1822 – January 30, 1824 | |
| Governor | William Hendricks |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | John H. Thompson |
| In office December 8, 1819 – September 12, 1822 | |
| Governor | Jonathan Jennings |
| Preceded by | Christopher Harrison |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Indiana Senate | |
| In office December 5, 1818 – December 4, 1819 | |
| Indiana House of Representatives | |
| In office December 5, 1816 – December 4, 1818 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 18, 1781 |
| Died | November 20, 1844(1844-11-20) (aged 63) |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Democrat |
| Spouse | Delilah Anderson Boon |
| Children | Seven |
| Occupation | Farmer Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch/service | Indiana Militia |
| Years of service | 1811–1813 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
Ratliff Boon (January 18, 1781 – November 20, 1844) was an American politician who briefly served as thesecond Governor ofIndiana— taking office following the resignation of GovernorJonathan Jennings, whom he served as lieutenant governor under, after his election to Congress, and subsequently serving again as lieutenant governor under GovernorWilliam Hendricks — and a six-term member of theUnited States House of Representatives. A prominent politician in the state, Boon was instrumental in the formation of thestate Democratic Party, and he supported PresidentAndrew Jackson's policies while in the House.
Ratliff Boon was born January 18, 1781, inFranklin County, North Carolina, the son of Jesse and Kessiah Boon. At a young age he moved with his parents toWarren County, Kentucky, where he attended a public grade school and later apprenticed as agunsmith inDanville, Kentucky.[1] In 1801 he was married to Delilah Anderson, together the couple had seven children. In 1809 he moved to what is nowBoon Township ofWarrick County, Indiana.Boonville, the county seat, was later named in his honor. At the outbreak of theWar of 1812, Boon joined theIndiana Territorial militia and eventually rose to the rank ofcolonel.[2]
Warrick County was organized in 1813 and Boon was appointed by GovernorThomas Posey to the position of County Treasurer. In 1816 he was elected to the firststate legislature where he served two one-year terms. During his terms, his primary accomplishment was successfully promoting legislation to divide Warrick County into three separate counties. He was elected to thestate senate in December 1818 but resigned after winning the election to become thesecond Lieutenant Governor in December 1819.[3]
Christopher Harrison had resigned his position as lieutenant governor after a scandal, leaving no incumbent. Two other men briefly competed against Boon for the position, but he defeated them in the general election, 7,397 votes to his closest competitors 3,882. In 1820 the legislature passed laws to lower the wolf population. Wolves had been creating havoc on the frontier. They offered a premium reward for wolf pelts, Boon capitalized on the new law and earned more than seven-hundred dollars by killing wolves. His success led to the rapid repeal of the law which quickly became a drain on the state's limited resources.[3][4]
In 1822 he was re-elected as lieutenant governor on a ticket withWilliam Hendricks. When GovernorJonathan Jennings resigned to take a seat in Congress, Boon succeeded him and became the second governor of the state on September 12, 1822, and served until Hendricks's inauguration on December 5, 1822.[1] Boon's only act of consequence during his short time as governor was to conduct a census of the area purchased by theTreaty of St. Mary's and make recommendations for the creation of counties in the region. His proposal was adopted by the General Assembly, which organized county governments and created three seats in the assembly to provide representation to the subjects of the census. Boon returned to the lieutenant governor's office and remained in that position until January 30, 1824, when he resigned after winning the election to theUnited States House of Representatives.[5][6]
Boon was elected as aJacksonian and served in Congress from March 4, 1825, to March 3, 1827. He was unsuccessful in his re-election attempt in 1826, defeated byThomas H. Blake who ran on an internal improvement platform which Boon's party was opposed to. During the term he sat out of office, he was instrumental in establishing the Democratic Party in Indiana. Up until that time, there were no formal political parties in the state, and all politicians loosely affiliated with theDemocratic-Republican Party. He ran again for the office in 1828, and won. He served in Congress again from March 4, 1829, to March 3, 1839. While in congress he was chairman of the Committee on Public Lands from 1835 until 1839. He made an unsuccessful run for re-election in 1839, and was defeated byOliver H. Smith.[5][6]
The same year of his defeat, Boon moved toLouisiana, Missouri. In Missouri he quickly rose in prominence and became a fierce opponent ofThomas H. Benton and the pro-slavery faction of the state government. In 1844 he ran for Congress again, hoping to defeat the pro-slavery candidate, but he became ill and withdrew from the race. Boon remained sick and died shortly after hearing of his party's victory in the election. He died there on November 20, 1844. He is interred in Riverview Cemetery of Louisiana, his son, Baily Hart Boon, later erected a monument over his grave.[6][7]
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 1st congressional district 1825–1827 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 1st congressional district 1829–1839 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Indiana September 12 – December 5, 1822 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Indiana 1819 – 1822 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
