Francis Gehon was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician from Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

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In 1839, Gehon was elected the delegate from Iowa Territory

Iowa Territory

The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...

 to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, but never took office. The United States Congress extended the term of William W. Chapman

William W. Chapman

William Williams Chapman was an American politician and lawyer in Oregon and Iowa. He was born and raised in Virginia. He served as a United States Attorney in Iowa when it was part of the Michigan and Wisconsin territories, and then represented the Iowa Territory in the United States House of...

to bring the term of office in line with the rest of the United States House of Representatives. In 1843, Gehon was elected to the Iowa Territorial Council and in 1844, he was elected to the first Iowa Constitution Convention of 1844.