Governor Elisha Baxter

Governor Elisha Baxter. . Elisha Baxter (1827-1899), 10th Governor of Arkansas, was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He came to Batesville in 1852, opened a mercantile business and was elected mayor in 1853. Baxter served two terms as state representative (1854-1856, 1858-1860) and was admitted to the bar in 1856. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Baxter refused to fight; he fled to Missouri but was later captured and tried for treason. He escaped and, in 1863, accepted command of the Unionist 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry. Baxter later served on the bench of the Third Circuit Court from 1868-1873., In 1872, Baxter ran against Joseph Brooks in a contentious race for Governor. Baxter was declared the winner and sworn into office on January 6, 1873. Brooks and armed supporters physically ousted Baxter from the State House on April 15, 1874, resulting in the Brooks-Baxter War. A month later, Baxter was restored to power and served until November 12, 1874 as the last Republican governor during Arkansas's Reconstruction. Baxter declined to run again and returned to Batesville where he lived on his farm and practiced law. He and his wife, Harriet Patton Baxter, had six children. Baxter County, Arkansas is named for him.