Briggs, Ansel

BRIGGS

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 2/5/2008 at 11:44:21

The Maquoketa Excelsior
May 14, 1881

The Dubuque Herald says of Gov. Briggs:

The pioneers of Iowa are rapidly passing under the sod. On the 5th inst. another prominent citizen at a ripe old age passed away. He was no less a personage than the first Governor of Iowa, Ansel Briggs, and was known by many Dubuquers who remember the early days of the state, among whom is ex-Governor Hempstead, who succeeded him as Governor. Governor Hempstead knew him well, and spoke to a Herald reporter yesterday in eulogistic terms of the first Governor. He lived in Andrew, Jackson County, for many years, and was Sheriff of the county at one time. Mr. Hempstead remembers the Democratic convention that nominated Mr. Briggs for Governor. It was held at Iowa City on Thursday, Sept. 24, 1846, and assembled to nominate two Congressmen and state officers. The convention was called to order by F. D. Mills of Des Moines, who was afterward killed in Mexico while fighting for his country. Wm. Thompson of Henry County was the chairman. He afterward was sent to Congress. James T. Fales of Dubuque was the secretary. There were in the convention as delegates, A. McCleary of Louisa County, afterward Secretary of State; J. E. Goodenow and J. I. Dyer of Jackson County, afterward Judge of the United States District Court, succeeded by Judge Love. P. B. Bradley of Jackson County State Senator, Secretary of the Senate, etc., was also a delegate to the convention that nominated Ansel Briggs for Governor. Among others were J. R. Hartsock, now of Iowa City; E. W. Eastman of DesMoines County, afterward elected Lieutenant-Governor on the Republican ticket; Shep Leffler, one of the first Congressmen from the state; J. H. Bonney, afterward Secretary of State, and E. Cutter, Jr., also Secretary of State in later years; T. S. Parvin of Muscatine, now secretary of the Masonic Grand Lodge of the state; A. H. Palmer, formerly editor of the Iowa Capital Reporter. From Dubuque there were F. Gehon, United States Marshal of the Territory; C. H. Booth, now deeply interested in railroads; Geo. Greene, of Cedar Rapids, Judge of the Supreme Court, who died a year ago; C. Corkney, who died recently in California; W. G. Stewart, now president of the Dubuque County bank: S. E. Witcher and S. Hempstead, afterward Governor. And of Scott County there was Laurel Summers, afterwards United States marshal.

The vote for Governor in the convention stood: Briggs, 02; Jesse Williams, 32; Wm. Thompson, 31. The two latter withdrew, and Ansel Briggs was nominated by acclamation. S. C. Hastings and Shep Leffler were nominated for Congress.

The election was held on the 26th of October, 1846. The vote was: Briggs, Democrat, 7,526; Thomas McKnight, Whig, 3,379; majority for Briggs, 4,247. Thus it will be seen that in nearly 35 years the combined vote of the state has increased from 11,000 in 1846, to over 300,000 in 1880.

Mr. Briggs, according to Gov. Hempstead’s account, was a very pleasant gentleman, and one who did not take part in any excitement of that day, except it may be during the fight for Senators, when the state remained two years without a representative in the United States Senate. Under Governor Briggs the state government was organized. He was a man of excellent judgment, and his administration was a popular one. Gov. Briggs was the first and Gov. Hempstead the last Democratic Governor of Iowa.

In the early days it was difficult to reach Iowa City, the capital, in the absence of railroads. The members came in on horseback and many of them on foot, walking 50 miles. The entire Legislature boarded at Swan’s hotel, and in the evening sat on dry goods boxes in front of stores, of fine days, whittling and talking about bills and laws. There was no stealing in those days, no extravagance; no waste of public money; each fellow purchased his own pocket knife and his own champagne. Those of the members who drank brought their own whisky in flasks or jugs. Gov. Briggs was a good entertainer, but he treated his friends and callers in primitive style. He dished up his dinners with the substantials of the land – pork and beans, corn bread, codfish and mackerel – upon common table cloths, and each fellow helped himself. Those days were not aristocratic. They were good old Democratic days. There were no Craigs, no Belknaps, nor Brandts, nor state crib speculators to disgrace the commonwealth. Politicians were honest then, and so were public officers. They lived within their income and gave equal labor for their pay, and of such were Ex-Governor Briggs and the oldest living Governor of Iowa, Stephen Hempstead of Dubuque.