Charles Anderson (June 1, 1814 – September 2, 1895) was first a Whig and later a Republican politician from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He served briefly as the 27th

governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Early life

Anderson was born in " Soldier's Retreat,"

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, son of Richard Clough Anderson and Elizabeth (Clark) Anderson, sister of George Rogers Clark and William Clark the famous explorer. Anderson graduated from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

in 1833, studied law and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1843. He moved to

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, where he began a law practice and was later elected county prosecutor.

Career

In 1844, Anderson was elected to the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of t ...

and made a name for himself as an advocate for black rights. He then moved to Texas for health reasons. He gave an impassioned speech in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

in December 1860, strongly opposing

secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

and calling for the "perpetuity of the national Union." Angry local pro-Confederates threatened Anderson and arrested him without charge, but Anderson escaped and returned with his family to Dayton. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

sent Anderson on a pro-Union speaking tour of Europe, after which Anderson accepted command of the 93rd Ohio Infantry and was commissioned in the Union Army as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. Badly wounded in battle in Tennessee at the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Ci ...

, Anderson resigned his commission and returned to Ohio to recuperate. Anderson was elected the seventh

lieutenant governor of Ohio The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes Governor of Ohio, governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed via impeachment conviction. Before 1852, the president of the Oh ...

in late 1863 and took office the following year. On August 29, 1865, he became governor upon the death of Governor John Brough. Anderson served less than five months, until January 8, 1866. Ohio historian Dwight L. Smith wrote that his brief term in office was "uneventful... ndthe services he performed were merely routine."

Death

After leaving the governorship, Anderson resumed his legal practice and moved back to

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, where he died at the age of 81. Anderson is interred at Kuttawa Cemetery in

Kuttawa, Kentucky Kuttawa is a home rule-class city in Lyon County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 649 as of the 2010 census, up from 596 in 2000. History Former Ohio governor Charles Anderson founded the town on land he purchased in 186 ...

Family life

Anderson was born to a prominent family, his father, Richard Clough Anderson Sr., was an aide to the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. Charles Anderson's brother, Major General Robert Anderson, was also a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer, notable for his defense of

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...

at the outset of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Another brother, William Marshall Anderson, was a noted explorer, politician, and briefly a member of the New Virginia Colony of ex-Confederates in Mexico during the reign of Emperor Maximilian.Huntington Library papers
cdlib.org. Accessed March 28, 2024. (Note: Rev. William C. Anderson, who served as president of Miami University from 1849 to 1854, is sometimes erroneously cited as an Anderson brother.)

References

External links

Ohio History Central bio for Charles Anderson
nga.org. Accessed March 28, 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Charles Lieutenant governors of Ohio 1814 births 1895 deaths Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Governors of Ohio Union army colonels Miami University alumni People of Ohio in the American Civil War Politicians from Dayton, Ohio Ohio Whigs Ohio state senators Republican Party governors of Ohio 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly