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Epaphroditus Ransom | |
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| 7th Governor of Michigan | |
| In office January 3, 1848 – January 7, 1850 | |
| Lieutenant | William M. Fenton |
| Preceded by | William L. Greenly |
| Succeeded by | John S. Barry |
| Member of theMichigan House of Representatives from theKalamazoo County 2nd district | |
| In office January 1, 1853 – December 31, 1854 | |
| Preceded by | Ezra Stetson and Barney Earl |
| Succeeded by | Henry Montague |
| Postmaster ofMontpelier, Vermont | |
| In office September 14, 1831 – September 22, 1834 | |
| Preceded by | John P. Marsh |
| Succeeded by | Ezekiel Ransom |
| Member of theVermont House of Representatives fromMontpelier | |
| In office 1828–1830 | |
| Preceded by | Luke S. Rand |
| Succeeded by | William R. Shafter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1798-03-24)March 24, 1798 |
| Died | November 11, 1859(1859-11-11) (aged 61) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Almira Cadwell Ransom |
Epaphroditus Ransom (March 24, 1798 – November 11, 1859) was an American politician who served as the seventhgovernor of Michigan and as a justice of theMichigan Supreme Court.
Ransom was born inShelburne Falls, Massachusetts. There is disagreement about the year of his birth, sometimes given as 1787,[1] 1796,[2] or 1798.[3] Sources have also shown two different dates of death, November 9 and 11. His tombstone shows he died at the age of 61 on November 11, 1859, which agrees with the 1798 year of birth.
He was the fourth of twelve children and was educated at various schools inNew England, such as Chester Academy ofVermont for four years. He studied atNorthampton Law School inNorthampton, Massachusetts receiving his degree in 1823, and then began his own practice inTownshend, Vermont. He married Almira Cadwell on February 21, 1827, in Montpelier, Vermont, and they had four children, yet two would die during infancy. He was elected to theVermont House of Representatives, but after seeing his siblings move toMichigan Territory as well as receiving advice from former Vermonter andMichigan Territorial delegate,Lucius Lyon, decided instead to move his family there in 1834.
After over a month of traveling by wagon and steamboat, the Ransoms arrived in Michigan Territory on November 14, 1834, in the small town of Bronson, which is nowKalamazoo, Michigan. There he gained admittance to the bar and began practicing law. He took up farming and other business ventures and soon became active in politics. He served in the state legislature and became that area's first circuit court judge, riding horseback through the wilderness to hear cases.
Ransom was appointed by GovernorStevens T. Mason as an associate justice of the state Supreme Court in 1837 and served as chief justice from 1843 to 1848. In one notable issue, he issued a declaration in 1840 that prevented the removal of the CatholicPotawatomi from their lands in southwestern Michigan.
In 1848, Ransom resigned from the court after being electedgovernor, and was the first governor to be inaugurated inLansing, Michigan, after the state capitol moved there fromDetroit. During his term as governor, the firsttelegraph line fromNew York City toDetroit was completed and the first message sent on March 1.
There were two notable immigrations to the state during his administration. A group of Dutch immigrants came to western Michigan, led by Rev. Van Raalte, of theDutch Reformed Church. They founded the city ofHolland, Michigan and later establishedHope College.James Jesse Strang led the other immigration, consisting of a faction ofMormon followers. They settled onBeaver Island in northernLake Michigan. Strang founded a kingdom there with a capital,St. James named for himself. Strang was even elected to the state legislature twice, butanti-Mormon sentiment and his totalitarian rule of the island led to his assassination.
Because of Ransom's strong anti-slavery position, the stateDemocratic Party did not re-nominate him for governor in 1850. He was elected again to the state legislature in 1853 and 1854.
He was also the first president of theMichigan Agricultural Society, which was instrumental in the creation of both theMichigan State Fair andMichigan State University. He served asregent of the University of Michigan from 1850 to 1852 and was a co-founder of the village ofAugusta, Michigan.
His private business ventures were ruined by thePanic of 1855, and in 1857, Ransom accepted appointment fromU.S. PresidentJames Buchanan as receiver of the public monies for the Osage Land Office inFort Scott, Kansas.
He died at the age of 61 in Fort Scott and is interred at Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo.
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Michigan 1847 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Michigan 1848–1850 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
