Asa Smith Bushnell I (September 16, 1834 – January 15, 1904) was an American Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 40th governor of Ohio. Before becoming governor, he served as the president of the Warder, Bushnell and Glessner Company, one of four companies that would merge to form International Harvester. Other roles in business included serving as president of the Springfield Gas Company and the First National Bank of Springfield.[1]
Asa Smith Bushnell | |
|---|---|
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| 40th Governor of Ohio | |
| In office January 13, 1896 – January 8, 1900 | |
| Lieutenant | Asa W. Jones |
| Preceded by | William McKinley |
| Succeeded by | George K. Nash |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 16, 1834 Rome, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1904 (aged 69) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | Ferncliff Cemetery, Springfield, Ohio |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ellen Ludlow |
| Children | 3 |
| Signature | _signature.jpg){kind=small} |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1864 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 152nd Ohio Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Biography
editBushnell was born in Rome, New York, and moved to Springfield, Ohio, at age 17. During the American Civil War, he raised a company of men for the 152nd Ohio Infantry, a 100-days regiment, and served as captain from May to September 1864.[2] He was a Presidential elector in 1884 for Blaine/Logan.[3] A business executive, Bushnell served as the Ohio state Republican Party Chair in 1885. He succeeded William McKinley as governor, serving two two-year terms from 1896 to 1900.
Valentine Anti-Trust Act
editDuring the Bushnell administration, Ohio took an early leadership role in trust-busting. The Valentine Anti-Trust Act was signed into law by Bushnell. This Act prohibited price fixing, and production limitation. All of these practices helped businesses by driving up the prices for their products, thus harming the consumer. In addition to Valentine Anti-Trust Act, Bushnell's attorney general pursued the monopolistic practices of the Standard Oil Company in the courts. Eventually, U.S. Senator John Sherman of Ohio introduced the Sherman Antitrust Act in the United States Congress in 1890. This law served as the first serious attempt by the federal government to break up monopolies and trusts, though successful enforcement of anti-trust laws was still more than a decade, and new political commitment, away.[4]
Death
editBushnell came from his home at Springfield in January 1904 to attend the inauguration of Governor Myron T. Herrick at Columbus. After the ceremony, he entered his carriage to return home, was struck with apoplexy before reaching the railroad station, and died at a Columbus hospital four days later.[5][6] He was buried in the Ferncliff Cemetery, Springfield on January 18, 1904.[5][7]
Family
editBushnell married Ellen Ludlow of Springfield, September 17, 1857. They had two daughters and a son.[8] He was a member of the Masons, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Episcopal Church[5]
Residence
edit
Bushnell and his wife built a Richardson Romanesque mansion in Springfield, Ohio. The house was not designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, but by Richardson’s firm soon after the architect's death. Both of Bushnell's business partners, Benjamin Head Warder and John Glessner, had earlier hired Richardson to design their houses: the Warder Mansion in Washington, DC, and the John J. Glessner House in Chicago. Glessner's house is considered one of Richardson's greatest designs.
The Bushnell House is part of Springfield's East High Street Historic District,[9] which is on the National Register of Historic Places.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Asa Bushnell House" Archived 2011-03-19 at the Wayback Machine Greater Springfield, Ohio Web site. Retrieved 6/5/09.
- ^ Reid, Whitelaw (1895). "152d Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry". Ohio in the War Her Statesmen Generals and Soldiers. Vol. 2. Cincinnati: The Robert Clarke Company. p. 683.
- ^ Taylor 1899 : vol. 2, 106
- ^ "Valentine Anti-Trust Act" Ohio History Central. Retrieved 6/5/09.
- ^ a b c Atwood, J. W. (1904). "Asa S. Bushnell". Ohio Archaeological and Historical Publications. 13: 282–286.
- ^ "Ohio's Former Chief Executive Dies at State Capital, Body Removed to Springfield Where Funeral Will Take Place. Opponent of Senator Hanna". The New York Times. January 16, 1904. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ "Asa Smith Bushnell". National Governors Association. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Mercer, James K; Vallandigham, C N (1896). Representative men of Ohio, 1896-97. Columbus: Mercer and Vallandigham. pp. 7–9.
- ^ National Register District Address Finder Archived September 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Ohio Historical Society, 2013. Accessed 2013-01-18.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 ... Vol. 2. State of Ohio. p. 106.
External links
edit- The National cyclopaedia of American biography: being the history ... Vol. 8. New York: James T White and Company. 1900. pp. 43–44.
- ohiohistorycentral.org on the life of Asa Bushnell
- Asa S. Bushnell at Find a Grave