Andrew Jackson Faulk
Encyclopedia
Andrew Jackson Faulk was the third Governor
of Dakota Territory
.
, Pike County
, Pennsylvania
, the son of John Faulk. Faulk moved with his family to Kittaning, Pennsylvania, where he was educated. He learned the printing trade and later edited the "Armstrong County Democrat." He also studied law and became involved with the Democratic party. Faulk served as county treasurer and then joined the Pennsylvania militia. Because of the slave issue, Faulk left the Democratic party to support John C. Fremont
in 1856 and Abraham Lincoln
in 1860.
Faulk was appointed chief clerk at the Yankton Agency in 1861 and worked for Dr. Walter A. Burleigh
. After the Santee uprising in 1862, he and his daughters returned to Pennsylvania. Dakota Territory Governor, Newton Edmunds
assisted the investigation by a congressional committee of Walter Burleigh's corrupt behavior on the Yankton Reservation from 1861 to 1864; and, Burleigh responded by presenting charges against Governor Edmunds to President Andrew Johnson
. Burleigh recommended that Edmunds be replaced by Andrew J. Faulk. In August 1866, President Johnson dismissed Newton Edmunds and appointed Faulk as Governor of Dakota Territory
. After arriving at Yankton, Dakota Territory on September 3, 1866, Faulk relieved Edmunds of his duties and served as the interim Governor until officially assuming the office on March 16, 1867.
Because of reports of pine timber and mineral wealth in the Black Hills
, Governor Faulk wanted to exclude that area from any future Indian reservation and to open it to white settlement. General William T. Sherman said that whites had no right to enter and occupy the Black Hills; since, the Indians had not ceded the area. In 1868, a group of entrepreneurs planned to invade the Black Hills without military protection. Officially, Governor Faulk said that he did not sanction this invasion; while, his rhetoric actually encouraged it. Because of his efforts to open the Black Hills to white settlement, Faulk was popular with entrepreneurs and adventurers in Dakota Territory.
On May 10, 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant
removed Governor Faulk and replaced him with John A. Burbank
. Faulk remained in Dakota Territory and went on to fill a vacancy in the mayor's office in Yankton before becoming clerk of the United States District Court for Dakota Territory in 1873. When Governor Nehemiah Ordway attempted to remove the Dakota Territory capital from Yankton, Faulk worked to have Ordway dismissed. On April 19, 1877, Faulk participated in the meeting to adopt a statehood resolution; and in 1883, he attended the constitutional convention. Faulk continued to reside in Yankton
, South Dakota
until the time of his death.
Governors of Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory existed as an entity from 1861 until 1889, when it was divided into the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. The Territorial Governor was appointed by the President of the United States....
of Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
.
Biography
Andrew Jackson Faulk was born at MilfordMilford, Pennsylvania
Milford is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,021 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, one of the state's first four circuit judges, who named the settlement after his ancestral home in Wales.Milford has a...
, Pike County
Pike County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, the son of John Faulk. Faulk moved with his family to Kittaning, Pennsylvania, where he was educated. He learned the printing trade and later edited the "Armstrong County Democrat." He also studied law and became involved with the Democratic party. Faulk served as county treasurer and then joined the Pennsylvania militia. Because of the slave issue, Faulk left the Democratic party to support John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
in 1856 and Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in 1860.
Faulk was appointed chief clerk at the Yankton Agency in 1861 and worked for Dr. Walter A. Burleigh
Walter A. Burleigh
Walter Atwood Burleigh was an American physician, lawyer, and pioneer. He represented the Dakota Territory as a non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives....
. After the Santee uprising in 1862, he and his daughters returned to Pennsylvania. Dakota Territory Governor, Newton Edmunds
Newton Edmunds
Newton Edmunds was the second Governor of Dakota Territory, serving during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
assisted the investigation by a congressional committee of Walter Burleigh's corrupt behavior on the Yankton Reservation from 1861 to 1864; and, Burleigh responded by presenting charges against Governor Edmunds to President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
. Burleigh recommended that Edmunds be replaced by Andrew J. Faulk. In August 1866, President Johnson dismissed Newton Edmunds and appointed Faulk as Governor of Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
. After arriving at Yankton, Dakota Territory on September 3, 1866, Faulk relieved Edmunds of his duties and served as the interim Governor until officially assuming the office on March 16, 1867.
Because of reports of pine timber and mineral wealth in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
, Governor Faulk wanted to exclude that area from any future Indian reservation and to open it to white settlement. General William T. Sherman said that whites had no right to enter and occupy the Black Hills; since, the Indians had not ceded the area. In 1868, a group of entrepreneurs planned to invade the Black Hills without military protection. Officially, Governor Faulk said that he did not sanction this invasion; while, his rhetoric actually encouraged it. Because of his efforts to open the Black Hills to white settlement, Faulk was popular with entrepreneurs and adventurers in Dakota Territory.
On May 10, 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
removed Governor Faulk and replaced him with John A. Burbank
John A. Burbank
John Albyne Burbank was an American businessman and the fourth Governor of Dakota Territory.Burbank was born at Centerville, Wayne County, Indiana. After finishing school, he entered into the merchandising business with his father. In 1853, Burbank laid out the site of Falls City, Nebraska, and...
. Faulk remained in Dakota Territory and went on to fill a vacancy in the mayor's office in Yankton before becoming clerk of the United States District Court for Dakota Territory in 1873. When Governor Nehemiah Ordway attempted to remove the Dakota Territory capital from Yankton, Faulk worked to have Ordway dismissed. On April 19, 1877, Faulk participated in the meeting to adopt a statehood resolution; and in 1883, he attended the constitutional convention. Faulk continued to reside in Yankton
Yankton, South Dakota
Yankton is a city in, and the county seat of, Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,454 at the 2010 census. Yankton was the original capital of Dakota Territory. It is named for the Yankton tribe of Nakota Native Americans...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
until the time of his death.
External links
- Andrew Jackson Faulk Letters and Speeches at the Newberry Library