# Chester Ashley
> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chester_Ashley
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chester_Ashley.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Ashley
> Source revision: 1353585996
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{Short description|American politician (1790–1848)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Chester Ashley
| image = Chester Ashley.jpg
| jr/sr = United States Senator
| state = [Arkansas](/source/Arkansas)
| term_start = November 8, 1844
| term_end = April 29, 1848
| predecessor = [William S. Fulton](/source/William_S._Fulton)
| successor = [William K. Sebastian](/source/William_K._Sebastian)
| birth_date = {{birth date|1790|6|1}}
| birth_place = [Amherst, Massachusetts](/source/Amherst%2C_Massachusetts), U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1848|4|29|1790|6|1}}
| death_place = [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), U.S.
| resting_place = [Mount Holly Cemetery](/source/Mount_Holly_Cemetery), [Little Rock, Arkansas](/source/Little_Rock%2C_Arkansas), U.S.
| resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|34|44|15.3|N|92|16|42.5|W|region:US-AR_type:landmark|display=inline}}
| party = [Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States))
}}
'''Chester Ashley''' (June 1, 1790 – April 29, 1848) was an American politician who represented [Arkansas](/source/Arkansas) in the United States Senate from 1844 until his sudden death in 1848.
==Early life==
Ashley was born in [Amherst, Massachusetts](/source/Amherst%2C_Massachusetts) in 1790; while a child he moved with his parents to [Hudson, New York](/source/Hudson%2C_New_York). He graduated from [Williams College](/source/Williams_College). Following this, he attended the [Litchfield Law School](/source/Litchfield_Law_School).[{{Cite web|title = Litchfield Ledger - Student|url = http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/ledger/students/92|website = www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org|accessdate = 2015-12-15}}] Ashley moved west upon completion of his education, going first to [Illinois](/source/Illinois), and thence to [Missouri](/source/Missouri). In 1820 he arrived in [Little Rock, Arkansas](/source/Little_Rock%2C_Arkansas), soon becoming one of the best and most prominent lawyers in the [Arkansas Territory](/source/Arkansas_Territory); for a time, his partner in practice was [Robert Crittenden](/source/Robert_Crittenden). Together, Ashley and Crittenden founded [Rose Law Firm](/source/Rose_Law_Firm).
==Legal and political career==
For some twenty years Ashley's practice was the largest in the state, and he became a wealthy man. He also owned slaves (including the father of Little Rock teacher [Charlotte Andrews Stephens](/source/Charlotte_Andrews_Stephens)), speculated in land, and was the owner and operator of plantations in the southeastern portion of the state.[{{Citation|title=Congress slaveowners|date=2022-01-19|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/interactive/2022/congress-slaveowners-names-list/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2022-07-11}}] His wealth led him to try his hand at politics; in 1844 he canvassed the state campaigning for [James K. Polk](/source/James_K._Polk) for president; the [Democrats](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) were victorious, and Ashley was elected by the state legislature to fill a vacancy in the Senate. Soon after entering, he was made the Chairman of the [Senate Judiciary Committee](/source/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_the_Judiciary); in 1846, he was reelected to the Senate. Two years later, he became suddenly ill in the Senate Chamber and died not long after.
==Personal life==
Ashley was the father of [Delos Rodeyn Ashley](/source/Delos_R._Ashley), who went on to serve as the State Treasurer of California and as a U.S. representative from Nevada.[{{cite web |title=O’Connell, Grace A. |work= Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women |url=https://pioneerwomen.californiapioneers.org/transcriptions/page-107// |publisher=The Society of California Pioneers |access-date=February 19, 2024}}]
One of Ashley's descendants is [Sterling R. Cockrill](/source/Sterling_R._Cockrill), the Democratic [Speaker](/source/Speaker_(politics)) of the [Arkansas House of Representatives](/source/Arkansas_House_of_Representatives) from 1968 to 1969 and the unsuccessful [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) nominee for [lieutenant governor](/source/Lieutenant_Governor_of_Arkansas) in 1970.[The Arkansas Lawyer magazine Summer 2011 by Arkansas Bar Association]
==Legacy==
Chester Ashley is the namesake of [Ashley County](/source/Ashley_County%2C_Arkansas), Arkansas.
==See also==
* [List of United States senators from Arkansas](/source/List_of_United_States_senators_from_Arkansas)
* [List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1790–1899)](/source/List_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_who_died_in_office_(1790%E2%80%931899))
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051112174217/http://www.cals.lib.ar.us/butlercenter/facts/ashley.htm Brief biography, with picture from the Central Arkansas Library System]
* {{CongBio|A000311}}
* {{cite BDA1906 |wstitle= Ashley, Chester |volume= 1 |pages= 154-155 |short=1}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-sen}}
{{U.S. Senator box|
state=Arkansas|
class=2|
before=[William Savin Fulton](/source/William_Savin_Fulton)|
after=[William K. Sebastian](/source/William_K._Sebastian)|
years=1844–1848|
alongside=[Ambrose Hundley Sevier](/source/Ambrose_Hundley_Sevier) and [Solon Borland](/source/Solon_Borland)}}
{{s-end}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Articles related to Chester Ashley
|list1=
{{USSenAR}}
{{SenJudiciaryCommitteeChairs}}
{{Rose Law Firm}}
}}
{{Portal bar|United States|Biography|Politics}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Chester}}
Category:1790 births
Category:1848 deaths
Category:People from Amherst, Massachusetts
Category:Democratic Party United States senators from Arkansas
Category:Litchfield Law School alumni
Category:Williams College alumni
Category:Burials at Mount Holly Cemetery
Category:United States senators who owned slaves
Category:19th-century United States senators
Category:American people of English descent
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chester Ashley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Ashley) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Ashley?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.