Asa Smith Bushnell | |
|---|---|
_1896_2.jpg) | |
| 40th Governor of Ohio | |
| In office January 13, 1896 – January 8, 1900 | |
| Lieutenant | Asa W. Jones |
| Preceded by | William McKinley |
| Succeeded by | George K. Nash |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1834-09-16)September 16, 1834 Rome, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1904(1904-01-15) (aged 69) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | Ferncliff Cemetery,Springfield, Ohio |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ellen Ludlow |
| Children | 3 |
| Signature | _signature.jpg) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1864 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 152nd Ohio Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Asa Smith Bushnell I (September 16, 1834 – January 15, 1904) was an AmericanRepublican politician fromOhio. He served as the 40thgovernor of Ohio. Before becoming governor, he served as the president of the Warder, Bushnell and Glessner Company, one of four companies that would merge to formInternational Harvester. Other roles in business included serving as president of the Springfield Gas Company and the First National Bank of Springfield.[1]
Bushnell was born inRome, New York, and moved toSpringfield, Ohio, at age 17. During theAmerican Civil War, he raised a company of men for the152nd Ohio Infantry, a 100-days regiment, and served as captain from May to September 1864.[2] He was aPresidential elector in 1884 forBlaine/Logan.[3] A business executive, Bushnell served as the Ohio state Republican Party Chair in 1885. He succeededWilliam McKinley as governor, serving two two-year terms from 1896 to 1900.
During the Bushnell administration,Ohio took an early leadership role intrust-busting. The Valentine Anti-Trust Act was signed into law by Bushnell. This Act prohibitedprice fixing, and production limitation. All of these practices helped businesses by driving up the prices for their products, thus harming the consumer. In addition to Valentine Anti-Trust Act, Bushnell's attorney general pursued the monopolistic practices of theStandard Oil Company in the courts. Eventually, U.S. SenatorJohn Sherman of Ohio introduced theSherman Antitrust Act in the United States Congress in 1890. This law served as the first serious attempt by the federal government to break up monopolies and trusts, though successful enforcement of anti-trust laws was still more than a decade, and new political commitment, away.[4]
Bushnell came from his home at Springfield in January 1904 to attend the inauguration of GovernorMyron T. Herrick at Columbus. After the ceremony, he entered his carriage to return home, was struck withapoplexy before reaching the railroad station, and died at a Columbus hospital four days later.[5][6] He was buried in the Ferncliff Cemetery, Springfield on January 18, 1904.[5][7]
Bushnell married Ellen Ludlow of Springfield, September 17, 1857. They had two daughters and a son.[8] He was a member of theMasons, theGrand Army of the Republic, and theEpiscopal Church[5]
Bushnell and his wife built aRichardson Romanesque mansion inSpringfield,Ohio. The house was not designed byHenry Hobson Richardson, but by Richardson’s firm soon after the architect's death. Both of Bushnell's business partners, Benjamin Head Warder and John Glessner, had earlier hired Richardson to design their houses: theWarder Mansion in Washington, DC, and theJohn J. Glessner House in Chicago. Glessner's house is considered one of Richardson's greatest designs.
The Bushnell House is part of Springfield'sEast High Street Historic District,[9] which is on theNational Register of Historic Places.[10]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of Ohio 1896–1900 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican Partynominee forGovernor of Ohio 1895,1897 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
