Ozra (or Ozro) Amander Hadley (June 30, 1826 – July 18, 1915) was an American politician who served as the

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

governor of Arkansas The governor of Arkansas is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics and government of Arkansas, Arkansas government a ...

from 1871 to 1873. He also served in the

Arkansas Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

. A Republican, he was from New York and became a farmer in Minnesota. He also served in local government before moving to Arkansas and opening a general store. After his political career he served in the U.S. Land Office in Little Rock and as a postmaster.

Early life and education

Hadley was born in Cherry Creek,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, and was educated in the public schools. He attended Fredonia Academy, now

State University of New York at Fredonia The State University of New York at Fredonia (alternatively SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia State, or Fredonia) is a public university in Fredonia, New York. It is the westernmost member of the State University of New York. Founded in 1826, it is the six ...

. Hadley moved to

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

in 1855, where he was a farmer and became active in local politics and government, including appointment as Olmsted County Auditor. In 1865, he moved to

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, where he opened a general store.

Political career

Hadley was elected as a Republican to serve in the

from 1869 to 1871; he was elected president of the Senate in 1871. In 1871, as part of a political compromise (''see: Brooks-Baxter War''), Hadley was appointed acting governor after the resignation of his fellow Republican,

Powell Clayton Powell Foulk Clayton (August 7, 1833August 25, 1914) was an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 9th List of Governors of Arkansas, governor of Arkansas from 1868 to 1871, as a Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

, a controversial figure associated with the Brooks-Baxter War. During his two-year term, Hadley sided with the

Radical Republicans The Radical Republicans were a political faction within the Republican Party originating from the party's founding in 1854—some six years before the Civil War—until the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended Reconstruction. They ca ...

during the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

, including efforts to assist former slaves to obtain schooling, own land, vote, and hold office. During a period of political and civil troubles that came to be called the Pope County Militia War, Major General D. P. Upham was sent by Hadley to provide aid in Pope County "as is or may be necessary to execute the civil and criminal law of the state." The orders gave Upham discretionary power in the use of force and the power to call state guards and enrolled militia into service. Some state guards were utilized in the county during voter registration and the November general election but were dismissed to return home after the election. After his gubernatorial term, Hadley served as registrar of the U.S. Land Office. He was appointed as Little Rock's postmaster in 1878, and served until 1882.

Later life

In his later years, Hadley moved to Watrous, Mora County,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, where he developed a

ranch A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...

. He died in Watrous in 1915.

References

External links

National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadley, Ozra Amander 1826 births 1915 deaths 19th-century American merchants 19th-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly Republican Party Arkansas state senators Acting governors of Arkansas Arkansas postmasters County auditors in the United States County officials in Minnesota Minnesota Republicans New Mexico Republicans People from Chautauqua County, New York People from Mora County, New Mexico People of the Brooks–Baxter War Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas Ranchers from New Mexico Republican Party governors of Arkansas State University of New York at Fredonia alumni

Early life and education

Political career

Later life

See also

References

External links