Alvin P. Hovey
Encyclopedia
Alvin Peterson Hovey was a Union
general during the American Civil War
, an Indiana Supreme Court justice, congressman, and the 21st Governor of Indiana
from 1889 to 1891. During the war he played an important role in several battles and uncovered a secret plot for an uprising in Indiana. As governor, he launched several legal challenges to the Indiana General Assembly
's removal of his powers, but was mostly unsuccessful. He successfully advocated election reform before he died in office.
on September 6, 1821 to Abiel and Francis Hovey. His mother died while he was a young boy, and his father died when he was fifteen leaving him orphaned. His youth was spent in poverty, and after being sent to an orphanage following his father's death, he received a basic education before being turned out at age eighteen. Hovey wanted to become a lawyer, and went work as a bricklayer by day, and studied law at night in the office of John Pitcher, a Mount Vernon attorney in 1840. After over three years of study in the office, he was admitted to bar in 1843 and opened his own law office.
Hovey was propelled into the state spotlight in 1849 when he was appointed to oversee the estate of the deceased William McClure. McClure was a wealthy idealist who was one of the co-founder of the failed utopian settlement of New Harmony, Indiana
. In his will, he ordered that his estate be sold and the proceeds be used to fund the construction of libraries. His two siblings had already seized much of his estate, sold it, and made off with the funds. Posey filed over sixty lawsuits to reclaim the assets of the estate, and used the proceed for their intended purpose. The funds successfully funded the opening of 160 libraries in Indiana and Illinois
. The case gained considerable press coverage around Indiana, and Hovey gained considerable popularity from his success. He met and married his wife Mary Ann in 1844, and the couple had five children. Only two of the children survived infancy.
reforms, saying that it would grant to much protection from creditors, and encourage laziness. The constitution was approved by the public, but the anti-black portions were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court two years later.
In 1854, Hovey was appointed by Governor
Joseph A. Wright
to fill a vacancy on the Indiana Supreme Court until an election could be held. At the time of his appointment, he was 34, making him the youngest justice in the history of the court. It also made him the only constitutional delegate to become the interpreter of a document which he himself had helped write. His most important decision was in voting to strike down taxing laws created by some townships to increase funding for their schools. His decision stated that the constitution required all state schools be funded uniformly. He campaigned to be elected to the Supreme Court, but was defeated having only served six months on the court.
In 1855, Hovey was appointed by United States President Franklin Pierce
to serve as US Attorney for Indiana. The state Democratic party had been going though a period of internal problems over the slavery issue. The pro-slavery faction, led by Jesse D. Bright
, expelled many anti-slavery members of the party including Hovey during the 1858 state convention. Bright was able to influence President James Buchanan
to remove Hovey from office because of his position. Hovey responded by running for Congress against Democrat William E. Niblack
as an Independent, but was defeated by a large margin. Hovey then joined the Republican Party, along with many of the other expelled Democrats.
in 1861, Hovey was commissions as a colonel and organized the First Regiment of the Indiana Legion, a militia force that was used to defend the state during the war. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed colonel of the 24th Regiment Indiana Infantry. His regiment was quickly sent to the front-lines where he led it in the Battle of Shiloh
in 1862. He remained with the advance elements of the main western Union army, and was promoted to brigadier general of United States Volunteers
. During the siege of Corinth
he commanded the 1st Brigade in Lew Wallace's
3rd Division. Hovey briefly commanded the District of Eastern Arkansas during the Fall of 1862 but returned to brigade command in the Army of the Tennessee
in 1863. In January he was given command of the 12th Division in the XIII Corps. He led his division at the Battle of Champion Hill
later that year earning the praise of General Ulysses S. Grant
.
He again led his division in the Siege of Vicksburg, breaking Confederate control of the Mississippi River
. Grant again praised Hovey as key to the siege's success. Shortly after the battle, he received word that his wife had died, and returned home to arrange for guardians for his children. Her death was deeply saddening to Hovey who was slow to recover emotionally. He returned briefly to the front in 1864 to the 1st Division in the XXIII Corps division during the Atlanta Campaign
. In August 1864 the 1st Division was discontinued and its regiments dispersed throughout the other divisions in the XXIII Corps. Hovey, without a command, again returned home. For the remainder of the war he was in command of the military District of Indiana. He resigned from the Union Army on October 7, 1865.
and the Knights of the Golden Circle
. He alleged the group had secret plans for an uprising in Indianapolis in August 1864. To prevent the plot, he had dozens of suspects arrested and taken before military tribunals for judgment. Several were sentenced to hanging, but their terms were commuted to life in prison. After the war, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the trials unconstitutional in the case of Ex parte Milligan
.
After the war ended, Hovey brevetted as a major general before resigning from the army. He then remarried to Rosa Alice, the stepdaughter of Caleb B. Smith, in 1865. He was then appointed as Minister to Peru
and dispatched to the country. Just prior to his departure, his new wife fell ill and died. During his time in Peru, the country was constantly at war with its neighbors and undergoing violent revolution. Hovey spent a good deal of his time trying to determine who was running the country on any given day. In 1870 he resigned from his post and return to Mount Vernon where he resumed his law practice.
was running for President that year and was immensely popular in the state. Despite his party ticket's popularity, he barely won the election, defeating Democrat Courtland C. Matson
by a plurality, 49%–48.6% of the vote, and Democrats retained majorities in both houses of the Indiana General Assembly
. At age sixty-eight, Hovey became the oldest man ever elected governor, up until that time.
In the last year of the term of Hovey's predecessor, Governor Albert G. Porter
, the General Assembly had passed a series of laws weakening the governor's powers. The legislature perused an agenda for the most part differing from the Governor's, and overrode most of his symbolic vetoes to enact it. Hovey attempted to reclaim some of the power taken by the legislature by taking many of their recent laws to the courts. They had removed all the governor's appointment powers, and the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in the legislatures favor in that matter. In another case, where the assembly had created state board to run police, fire, and other department at the local level, taking their control from Republican controlled local governments, the courts ruled in favor of Hovey and declared the laws unconstitutional. In a fight over who had the right to appoint newly created department heads, the court ruled against both the assembly and the governor, stating that like all other departments heads must be elected in a general election.
Hovey had campaigned on dealing with the White Cap
groups operating in southern Indiana. The vigilante groups had carried out several lynchings, including the Reno Gang
, and had been carrying out other forms of vigilante justice, especially in Harrison and Crawford Counties. The often meted out corporeal punishments to men who were believed to not be taking care of their family, local criminals, and alcoholics. Hovey launched investigations into the groups, and made known his intentions to put an end to their organizations. Although no arrests were made, the threat led to a significant decrease and eventual end to their activities.
Ira Joy Chase
. Hovey's body lay in state in Indianapolis before his remains were removed to his hometown for a funeral. He is buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery near Mount Vernon, Indiana
.
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
general during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, an Indiana Supreme Court justice, congressman, and the 21st Governor of Indiana
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
from 1889 to 1891. During the war he played an important role in several battles and uncovered a secret plot for an uprising in Indiana. As governor, he launched several legal challenges to the Indiana General Assembly
Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
's removal of his powers, but was mostly unsuccessful. He successfully advocated election reform before he died in office.
Family and background
Alvin Peterson Hovey was born in Mount Vernon, IndianaMount Vernon, Indiana
Mount Vernon is a city in southern Indiana along the Ohio River and the county seat of Posey County. It is located in Black Township. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 6,687...
on September 6, 1821 to Abiel and Francis Hovey. His mother died while he was a young boy, and his father died when he was fifteen leaving him orphaned. His youth was spent in poverty, and after being sent to an orphanage following his father's death, he received a basic education before being turned out at age eighteen. Hovey wanted to become a lawyer, and went work as a bricklayer by day, and studied law at night in the office of John Pitcher, a Mount Vernon attorney in 1840. After over three years of study in the office, he was admitted to bar in 1843 and opened his own law office.
Hovey was propelled into the state spotlight in 1849 when he was appointed to oversee the estate of the deceased William McClure. McClure was a wealthy idealist who was one of the co-founder of the failed utopian settlement of New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony is a historic town on the Wabash River in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, United States. It lies north of Mount Vernon, the county seat. The population was 916 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Evansville metropolitan area. Many of the old Harmonist buildings still stand...
. In his will, he ordered that his estate be sold and the proceeds be used to fund the construction of libraries. His two siblings had already seized much of his estate, sold it, and made off with the funds. Posey filed over sixty lawsuits to reclaim the assets of the estate, and used the proceed for their intended purpose. The funds successfully funded the opening of 160 libraries in Indiana and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The case gained considerable press coverage around Indiana, and Hovey gained considerable popularity from his success. He met and married his wife Mary Ann in 1844, and the couple had five children. Only two of the children survived infancy.
Constitutionalists
Hovey was elected as a Democrat to serve as a delegate in 1850 to help create a new constitution for the state of Indiana. Hovey supported the educational and governmental reforms to the constitution, as well as being a driving force in some of the more controversial aspects of the constitution. He opposed the extension of suffrage to women and blacks, and proposed adding a section to the constitution to ban free blacks from Indiana. His proposal was accepted because it was viewed as a punishment to the southern states, who would be required to care for the free blacks. He also opposed the bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
reforms, saying that it would grant to much protection from creditors, and encourage laziness. The constitution was approved by the public, but the anti-black portions were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court two years later.
In 1854, Hovey was appointed by Governor
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
Joseph A. Wright
Joseph A. Wright
Joseph Albert Wright was the tenth Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from December 5, 1849 to January 12, 1857, most noted for his opposition to banking. His positions created a rift between him and the Indiana General Assembly who overrode all of his anti-banking vetoes...
to fill a vacancy on the Indiana Supreme Court until an election could be held. At the time of his appointment, he was 34, making him the youngest justice in the history of the court. It also made him the only constitutional delegate to become the interpreter of a document which he himself had helped write. His most important decision was in voting to strike down taxing laws created by some townships to increase funding for their schools. His decision stated that the constitution required all state schools be funded uniformly. He campaigned to be elected to the Supreme Court, but was defeated having only served six months on the court.
In 1855, Hovey was appointed by United States President Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
to serve as US Attorney for Indiana. The state Democratic party had been going though a period of internal problems over the slavery issue. The pro-slavery faction, led by Jesse D. Bright
Jesse D. Bright
Jesse David Bright was the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Indiana and U.S. Senator from Indiana who served as President pro tempore of the Senate on three separate occasions...
, expelled many anti-slavery members of the party including Hovey during the 1858 state convention. Bright was able to influence President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
to remove Hovey from office because of his position. Hovey responded by running for Congress against Democrat William E. Niblack
William E. Niblack
William Ellis Niblack was a U.S. Representative from Indiana, cousin of Silas Leslie Niblack. Born in Dubois County, Indiana, Niblack attended the country schools and Indiana University at Bloomington....
as an Independent, but was defeated by a large margin. Hovey then joined the Republican Party, along with many of the other expelled Democrats.
Front lines
Immediately following the outbreak of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1861, Hovey was commissions as a colonel and organized the First Regiment of the Indiana Legion, a militia force that was used to defend the state during the war. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed colonel of the 24th Regiment Indiana Infantry. His regiment was quickly sent to the front-lines where he led it in the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
in 1862. He remained with the advance elements of the main western Union army, and was promoted to brigadier general of United States Volunteers
United States Volunteers
United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U. S. Vol., or U.S.V.Starting as early as 1861 these regiments were often referred to as the "volunteer army" of the United States but not officially named that until 1898.During the nineteenth century this was the United States federal...
. During the siege of Corinth
Siege of Corinth
The Siege of Corinth was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.-Background:...
he commanded the 1st Brigade in Lew Wallace's
Lew Wallace
Lewis "Lew" Wallace was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, territorial governor and statesman, politician and author...
3rd Division. Hovey briefly commanded the District of Eastern Arkansas during the Fall of 1862 but returned to brigade command in the Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....
in 1863. In January he was given command of the 12th Division in the XIII Corps. He led his division at the Battle of Champion Hill
Battle of Champion Hill
The Battle of Champion Hill, or Bakers Creek, fought May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confederate Lt. Gen. John C...
later that year earning the praise of General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
He again led his division in the Siege of Vicksburg, breaking Confederate control of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Grant again praised Hovey as key to the siege's success. Shortly after the battle, he received word that his wife had died, and returned home to arrange for guardians for his children. Her death was deeply saddening to Hovey who was slow to recover emotionally. He returned briefly to the front in 1864 to the 1st Division in the XXIII Corps division during the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
. In August 1864 the 1st Division was discontinued and its regiments dispersed throughout the other divisions in the XXIII Corps. Hovey, without a command, again returned home. For the remainder of the war he was in command of the military District of Indiana. He resigned from the Union Army on October 7, 1865.
Sons of Liberty
Back in Indiana, Governor Oliver P. Morton placed Hovey in command of the Regular army and Indiana Legions units in the state. His primary task was overseeing recruitment and keeping anti-government activities under control. To accomplish the task, Hovey raised a division of ten-thousand troops, but would only accept unmarried men. Because of the young age of most of his soldiers, his division was nicknamed "Hovey's Babies." His investigations uncovered a network of southern sympathizers known as the Sons of LibertySons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists from the usurpations by the British government after 1766...
and the Knights of the Golden Circle
Knights of the Golden Circle
The Knights of the Golden Circle was a secret society. Some researchers believe the objective of the KGC was to prepare the way for annexation of a golden circle of territories in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean for inclusion in the United States as slave states...
. He alleged the group had secret plans for an uprising in Indianapolis in August 1864. To prevent the plot, he had dozens of suspects arrested and taken before military tribunals for judgment. Several were sentenced to hanging, but their terms were commuted to life in prison. After the war, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the trials unconstitutional in the case of Ex parte Milligan
Ex parte Milligan
Ex parte Milligan, , was a United States Supreme Court case that ruled that the application of military tribunals to citizens when civilian courts are still operating is unconstitutional. It was also controversial because it was one of the first cases after the end of the American Civil...
.
After the war ended, Hovey brevetted as a major general before resigning from the army. He then remarried to Rosa Alice, the stepdaughter of Caleb B. Smith, in 1865. He was then appointed as Minister to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and dispatched to the country. Just prior to his departure, his new wife fell ill and died. During his time in Peru, the country was constantly at war with its neighbors and undergoing violent revolution. Hovey spent a good deal of his time trying to determine who was running the country on any given day. In 1870 he resigned from his post and return to Mount Vernon where he resumed his law practice.
Clash with General Assembly
In 1872, the Republican party entered Hovey's name as a candidate to run for governor, but he declined, claiming he was finished with politics. For the next fourteen years he continued operating his private law practice until 1886, he was nominated to run for Congress and accepted. He defeated his Democratic opponent J. E. McCullough 18,258 to 16,907. Two years later, he was nominated to run for Governor of Indiana. Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
was running for President that year and was immensely popular in the state. Despite his party ticket's popularity, he barely won the election, defeating Democrat Courtland C. Matson
Courtland C. Matson
Courtland Cushing Matson was a U.S. Representative from Indiana.Born in Brookville, Indiana, Matson was graduated from Indiana Asbury University in 1862....
by a plurality, 49%–48.6% of the vote, and Democrats retained majorities in both houses of the Indiana General Assembly
Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
. At age sixty-eight, Hovey became the oldest man ever elected governor, up until that time.
In the last year of the term of Hovey's predecessor, Governor Albert G. Porter
Albert G. Porter
Albert Gallatin Porter was an American politician who served as the 19th Governor of Indiana from 1881 to 1885 and as a United States Congressman from 1859 to 1863. Originally a Democrat, he joined the Republican Party in 1856 after being expelled by the pro-slavery faction of the Democratic Party...
, the General Assembly had passed a series of laws weakening the governor's powers. The legislature perused an agenda for the most part differing from the Governor's, and overrode most of his symbolic vetoes to enact it. Hovey attempted to reclaim some of the power taken by the legislature by taking many of their recent laws to the courts. They had removed all the governor's appointment powers, and the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in the legislatures favor in that matter. In another case, where the assembly had created state board to run police, fire, and other department at the local level, taking their control from Republican controlled local governments, the courts ruled in favor of Hovey and declared the laws unconstitutional. In a fight over who had the right to appoint newly created department heads, the court ruled against both the assembly and the governor, stating that like all other departments heads must be elected in a general election.
Reforms
The only agenda item which Hovey was able to pass through the General Assembly was voter reform. The state for several election cycles been the victim of serious voter fraud, and had among the least restrictive voter regulations in the nation. Parties created their own ballots, and were responsible for including their opponents on their ballots. This led to considerable trickery on the party of the parties who would deliberately make their ballot in a manner to increase the likelihood voters would choose their candidate, even accidentally. Vote buying had also become commonplace; that had led to a national scandal in the election of Benjamin Harrison. The reforms enacted created the secret ballot, standardized ballots, provided more supervision at polling stations, and gave the responsibility of creating ballots to the state.Hovey had campaigned on dealing with the White Cap
Indiana White Caps
White caps was a general term used to refer to several groups operating primarily in southern Indiana in the late 19th century. They became common in the state following the American Civil War and lasted until the turn of the century. They lynched numerous people; in all recorded cases, the victims...
groups operating in southern Indiana. The vigilante groups had carried out several lynchings, including the Reno Gang
Reno Gang
The Reno Brothers Gang, also known as the Reno Gang and The Jackson Thieves, were a group of criminals that operated in the Midwestern United States during and just after the American Civil War. Though short-lived, they carried out the first three peacetime train robberies in U.S. history...
, and had been carrying out other forms of vigilante justice, especially in Harrison and Crawford Counties. The often meted out corporeal punishments to men who were believed to not be taking care of their family, local criminals, and alcoholics. Hovey launched investigations into the groups, and made known his intentions to put an end to their organizations. Although no arrests were made, the threat led to a significant decrease and eventual end to their activities.
Death
In 1891, Hovey fell ill and died on November 23, 1891 and was succeeded by his Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
Ira Joy Chase
Ira Joy Chase
Ira Joy Chase was a veteran of the American Civil War, a leading member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a prominent Church of Christ evangelist, and the 22nd Governor of Indiana between November 23, 1891 January 9, 1893....
. Hovey's body lay in state in Indianapolis before his remains were removed to his hometown for a funeral. He is buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery near Mount Vernon, Indiana
Mount Vernon, Indiana
Mount Vernon is a city in southern Indiana along the Ohio River and the county seat of Posey County. It is located in Black Township. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 6,687...
.
Electoral history
See also
- List of Governors of Indiana
- List of American Civil War generals