{{Short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Ara Barton | image = | caption = | state_house = Minnesota | district = 18th | term_start = January 2, 1872 | term_end = January 6, 1873 | predecessor = | successor = | state_house2 = Minnesota | district2 = 8th | term_start2 = January 3, 1871 | term_end2 = January 2, 1872 | state_house3 = Minnesota | district3 = 3rd | term_start3 = December 7, 1859 | term_end3 = December 29, 1859 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1824|04|12}} | birth_place = Charlestown, New Hampshire, United States | death_date = {{death date and age|1898|11|06|1824|04|12}} | death_place = Morristown, Minnesota, United States | party = Democratic | other_party = Greenback (1879) | spouse = Louisa J. Fish | children = 4 | alma_mater = | allegiance = United States of America | branch = Union Army | service_years = August 1862 - June 1866 | rank = Captain | unit = *1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment *Brackett's Minnesota Cavalry Battalion | commands = *First Lieutenant of Company F, 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment. *Captain of Company D, Brackett's Minnesota Cavalry Battalion | battles = *Dakota War of 1862 **Battle of Big Mound **Battle of Dead Buffalo Lake **Battle of Stony Lake **Battle of Killdeer Mountain **Battle of the Badlands }} '''Ara Barton''', sometimes listed as '''Asa Barton''' (April 12, 1824 – November 6, 1898) was an American politician, lawyer, and military officer from the state of Minnesota.
==Biography== Ara Barton was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire in 1824, a small town near the border with Vermont. His father was Frye Barton (1790–1871) and his mother was Judith Powers (1790–1888).<ref name=ref1>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartondatabase.com/getperson.php?personID=I1084&tree=gbtree|title=Hon. Ara Barton|publisher=Barton Historical Society|date=April 26, 2012|accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref>
Barton moved to Minnesota Territory in 1857 and was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1859, however the elections in District 3 were contested due to charges of illegal votes, and their opponents were sworn in. On November 1, 1862 following the end of the Dakota War of 1862, Barton enlisted as a Private into Company F of the 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment which fought at the Battle of Big Mound, the Battle of Dead Buffalo Lake, and the Battle of Stony Lake. During his time with the regiment Barton quickly rose to the rank of Commissary Sergeant. Later on in June 1863 Barton was commissioned as the First lieutenant of Company F, he mustered out on December 2, 1863.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Minnesota. Adjutant General's Office |url=http://archive.org/details/annualreport01minn |title=Annual report |date=1862 |publisher=Saint Paul |others=The Library of Congress |pages=656}}</ref> Following his service with the 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment Barton reenlisted into Brackett's Minnesota Cavalry Battalion on December 4, 1863.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Minnesota. Adjutant General's Office |url=http://archive.org/details/annualreport01minn |title=Annual report |date=1862 |publisher=Saint Paul |others=The Library of Congress |pages=701}}</ref> Due to his previous service in the 1st Minnesota Cavalry, Barton was promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of Company D in Brackett's Battalion. Barton mustered out with his company along with the rest of the battalion from May - June, 1866.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Minnesota. Adjutant General's Office |url=http://archive.org/details/annualreport01minn |title=Annual report |date=1862 |publisher=Saint Paul |others=The Library of Congress |pages=704}}</ref>
Following his service in the Union army Barton was admitted to the Minnesota bar examination and became a lawyer opening his own a law office in Northfield, Minnesota with A. O. Whipple.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Unknown |date=1899-11-15 |title=The Faribault journal. |url=https://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/lccn/sn90060474/1899-11-15/ed-1/seq- |journal=Minnesota Historical Society |language=English |pages=8}}</ref> Barton was later elected to the House in 1870.<ref name="barton">{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?ID=11161|title=Barton, Ara "Asa"|publisher=Minnesota Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> Barton ran for Governor of Minnesota in the 1873 election, losing to Republican Cushman Kellogg Davis and finishing with about 48% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=61545|title=Our Campaigns - MN Governor Race - Nov 04, 1873|accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sos.state.mn.us/media/1353/chapter-10_mn-votes-2015.pdf|publisher=Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State|title=Minnesota Legislative Manual (Blue Book) - Chapter 10 Minnesota Elections|date=2015-04-01|access-date=2016-05-07}}</ref>
In 1876, Barton was sheriff of Rice County, Minnesota, during the failed attempt of the James–Younger Gang to rob a bank in Northfield.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kdhlradio.com/a-look-back-ara-barton-rice-county/|title=A Look Back: Ara Barton, Rice County|author=Garwood, Susan|publisher=KDHL|date=April 12, 2015|accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> On July 19, 1879, he was nominated by the Greenback Party as their candidate for Governor, but declined the nomination five days later. However, in 1889, Barton wrote to Governor William R. Merriam in an attempt to pardon the Younger brothers.<ref name=ref1/>
He died in Morristown, Minnesota on November 6, 1898, at the age of 74.<ref name=ref1/>
==Personal life== Barton married Louisa J. Fish (1823–1890). They had four children: Marcus Dehart Barton, Inez Barton, Phineas W. Barton, and Ara P. Barton.<ref name=ref1/>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Winthrop Young}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Governor of Minnesota|years=1873}} {{s-aft|after=David L. Buell}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Ara}} Category:1824 births Category:1898 deaths Category:People from Charlestown, New Hampshire Category:People from Faribault, Minnesota Category:Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:Sheriffs in Minnesota Category:19th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature Category:Minnesota gubernatorial candidates