Chester Ashley

Chester Ashley
United States Senator from Arkansas
In office November 8, 1844 – April 29, 1848
Preceded by	William S. Fulton
Succeeded by	William K. Sebastian
Personal details
Born	June 1, 1790(1790-06-01) Amherst, Massachusetts
Died	April 29, 1848(1848-04-29) (aged 57) Washington, D.C.
Political party	Democratic

Chester Ashley (June 1, 1790 – April 29, 1848) was an American politician who represented Arkansas in the U.S. Senate from 1844 until his death.

Ashley was born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1790; while a child he moved with his parents to Hudson, New York. He was a graduate, with honors, of Williams College; following this, he took a course in law in Litchfield, Connecticut. Ashley moved west upon completion of his education, going first to Illinois, and thence to Missouri. In 1820 he arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas, soon becoming one of the best and most prominent lawyers in the Arkansas Territory; for a time, his partner in practice was Robert Crittenden. Together, Ashley and Crittenden founded Rose Law Firm.

For some twenty years Ashley's practice was the largest in the state, and he became a wealthy man. This led him to try his hand at politics; in 1844 he canvassed the state campaigning for James K. Polk for president; the Democrats were victorious, and Ashley was elected by the state legislature to fill a vacancy in the Senate. Soon after entering, he was made the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; in 1846, he was reelected to the Senate. Two years later he was taken suddenly ill in the Senate Chamber and died not long after.

Chester Ashley is the namesake of Ashley County, Arkansas.

References

External links

• Brief biography, with picture from the Central Arkansas Library System
• Chester Ashley on Find-A-Grave
• Chester Ashley at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

United States Senate
Preceded by William Savin Fulton	United States Senator (Class 2) from Arkansas 1844 – 1848 Served alongside: Ambrose Hundley Sevier and Solon Borland	Succeeded by William K. Sebastian

Persondata
Name	Ashley, Chester
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	June 1, 1790
Place of birth	Amherst, Massachusetts
Date of death	April 29, 1848
Place of death	Washington, D.C.