Arkansas Governors and United States Senators

E-text prepared by Shannon Seyler
John L. Ferguson State Historian
Arkansas History Commission Little Rock
1970
This list of Arkansas governors and United States senators, with brief biographies of each person who has served in these offices, is intended to benefit students and others who have expressed interest in a published summary of such information. We have omitted the dozens of acting governors, including some who served for substantial periods of time, as well as senators who held office only briefly. Copies of this publication are free, and the material is not copyrighted or restricted.
On March 2, 1819, Arkansas was legally separated from Missouri and became the Territory of Arkansas. The act became effective on July 4 following. During the territorial period the governors were appointed by the President of the United States, with the approval of the United States Senate, for terms of three years.
1. James Miller, 1819-1824
Lawyer, soldier. Born in New Hampshire, 1776. Educated at Amherst Academy and Williams College, Massachusetts. Admitted to bar, 1803. Married Martha Ferguson, 1801; two children. Married Ruth Flint, 1806; five children.
Commissioned major of infantry in regular army, 1808. Lieutenant colonel, 1810; colonel, 1812; brigadier general, 1814. Hero of Battle of Lundy's Lane, Canada, 1814. Received Congressional gold medal for gallantry, 1814. Resigned from army, 1819.
Governor of Arkansas, 1819-1824. United States collector of customs, Salem, Massachusetts, 1824-1849. Died 1851.
2. George Izard, 1825-1828
Soldier. Born in England, 1776. Attended military schools in England, Germany, and France. Commissioned lieutenant in artillerists and engineers, United States Army, 1794. Captain, 1799. Resigned from army, 1803. Married Elizabeth Carter Shippen, 1803; three children.