William Hendricks

William Hendricks
Governor William Hendricks[1]
Member of the Indiana Territorial Legislature
In office
1813–1816
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Indiana's at-large district
In office
December 11, 1816 – July 25, 1822
Preceded byJonathan Jennings[2]
Succeeded byJonathan Jennings
3rd Governor of Indiana
In office
December 5, 1822 – February 12, 1825
LieutenantRatliff Boon
Preceded byRatliff Boon
Succeeded byJames B. Ray
United States Senator
from Indiana
In office
March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1837
Preceded byWaller Taylor
Succeeded byOliver H. Smith
Personal details
BornNovember 12, 1782
Ligonier Valley, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 1850(1850-05-16) (aged 67)
Madison, Indiana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Anti-Jacksonian
Whig
SpouseAnn Parker Paul
Alma materJefferson College

William Hendricks (November 12, 1782 – May 16, 1850) was a Democratic-Republican member of the House of Representatives from 1816 to 1822, the third governor of Indiana from 1822 to 1825, and an Anti-Jacksonian member of the U.S. Senate from 1825 to 1837. He led much of his family into politics and founded one of the largest political families in Indiana. He was the uncle of Thomas Andrews Hendricks, who was also Governor of Indiana and Vice President of the United States. Hendricks County was named in his honor. His term as governor was spent repairing the state's finances to later enable large scale internal improvements. The establishment of the basic framework of the state's public school system and the transfer of the capital from Corydon to Indianapolis also occurred during his term.

  1. ^ No authentic portrait of Hendricks is known to exist. This one was once on display in the Indiana Statehouse, but it was order to be removed by Governor Thomas Hendricks because it was inaccurate.
  2. ^ Jennings served as representative of the Indiana Territory