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Chester Ashley

Chester Ashley, 1791-1848
Namesake of Ashley County

Born in 1791 in Amherst, Massachusetts, Chester Ashley moved with his parents to New York. He was graduated with honors from Williams College and then took a law course at Litchfield, Connecticut. Moving to Illinois and Missouri after completing his education. Ashley moved to Little Rock in 1820. He soon became one of the foremost lawyers in the Territory. Ashley was law partners with another famous Arkansan, Robert Crittenden. For twenty years Ashley had the largest law practice in the state. By 1844, he was a wealthy man and decided to try his hand a politics. Ashley believed in the principles of the Democratic party and threw himself behind US presidential candidate James K. Polk campaigning statewide for his candidate. As a result, the Democrats experienced a great victory in Arkansas.

When the legislature met during the fall of 1844, Ashley was elected to fill a vacant seat. Soon after entering the legislature, Ashley was made Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He was reelected to the Senate in 1846 but two years later in the Senate Chamber he became ill and died suddenly.