Elisha Baxter
ELISHA BAXTER was born in Rutherford County, on September 1, 1827. In 1852, he moved to Arkansas, Baxter studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1856. He was elected to the Arkansas Senate, serving from 1854 to 1856, and 1858 to 1860. In 1864, he was appointed chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, and in 1868, served on the bench of the Third Circuit Court until 1872. Baxter ran and won the popular vote in the 1872 gubernatorial election against Joseph Brooks. Brooks contested the election, but the legislature favored Baxter. On January 6, 1873, Baxter was sworn into office as Arkansas's 10th governor. During his term, he proposed reform and an amendment to reenfranchise whites. He opposed railroad bonds and refused to issue any more. This caused tremendous difficulty for Baxter and resulted in Brooks' party's desertion and the Supreme Court's ruling that he had won the election. Brooks seized the governor's office and an appeal was sent to President U.S. Grant to settle the dispute. President Grant assigned the dispute to the Arkansas Legislature, which sided for Baxter and called for a special convention. A new constitution was formed, which resulted in the vacating of all state offices and the shortening of Baxter's term from four years to two. Baxter left office on November 12, 1874.
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In 1852 Baxter moved to Arkansas and opened a business that soon failed. He was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1854. He studied law and, in 1856, was admitted to the Arkansas bar. He was reelected to the Senate in 1858 and served until 1860.
At the start of the American Civil War Baxter refused to fight for the Confederacy and attempted to flee to Missouri. He was captured and tried for treason. He escaped north and joined the 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry (USA) and served as colonel of that regiment.
In 1864 he was appointed as Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in the reconstruction government. From 1868 to 1872 he served as a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court.
In 1872 he was elected Governor of Arkansas over Joseph Brooks in a controversial election that led to the Brooks-Baxter War. Baxter was physically removed from the governor's office by Brooks and state militia loyal to him. Baxter was not restored to the governorship until a month later.
During his term a new constitution was formed which shortened his term and returned voting rights to ex-Confederates. Baxter declined to accept the 1874 nomination for governor and was the last Republican governor to be elected in Arkansas until Winthrop Rockefeller in 1967.
After leaving office Baxter returned to his farm near Batesville, Arkansas. He ran for a position in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1878 but was unsuccessful.
Elisha Baxter died in Batesville, Arkansas and is buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Batesville, Arkansas.
Baxter County, Arkansas was named after Elisha Baxter.
The struggle began with a coup d'etat-the physical removal of the sitting governor - and escalated to armed conflict. The ensuing events were complex political affairs with shifting allegiances. Eventually the intervention of President Ulysses S. Grant was necessary to settle the conflict.
The war's conclusion marked an early end to Reconstruction in Arkansas. It was also responsible to some degree for the dominance of the Democratic Party in Arkansas for the next 96 years, although the same trend occurred throughout the South in the same period.
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