Chester Ashley (1790 - 1848)

Born 1 Jun 1790 in Amherst, Hampshire, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Died 29 Apr 1848 at age 57 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Preceded by William S. Fulton

Chester Ashley US Senator (Class 2) from Arkansas[1] 1844—1848

Succeeded by William K. Sebastian

Biography

Chester Ashley is Notable.

• Ashley County, Arkansas is named in honor of Sen. Ashley.
• He is buried in Little Rock, Arkansas but there is also a memorial to him in Washington Congressional Cemetery.

Slaves Owned

Senator Ashley was the owner of several plantations in southeast Arkansas. Following are people identified as being slaves to him:

• William Wallace Andrews, founder of Wesley AME Church in Little Rock in 1853 - Senator Ashley is credited with donating his land for this church.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Died in office, vacant April 29, 1848 – May 12, 1848 when successor appointed.
2. ↑ Stephens, Charlotte Andrews originally published in Arkansas Biography: A Collection of Notable Lives, appears in the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas; accessed on Encyclopedia of Arkansas digital site 10-11-2022 Link to Bio

• Find A Grave Memorial# 19636
• {https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9453931/chester-ashley}
• Chester Ashley on Wikipedia
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Davis, E., Genealogy of Hon. Chester Ashley, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass.,1848) Vol. 2, Page 395.

• "CHESTER, son of William, son of Stephen, &c., graduated at Williams College 1813, studied law with Elisha Williams, Esq., of Hudson, and before 1820 settled in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was senator in Congress from that State, and died at Washington, April, 1848, aged 57. He has left a wife and several children, at Little Rock."