Epaphroditus Ransom
Encyclopedia
Epaphroditus Ransom was the seventh Governor of Michigan and Michigan Supreme Court
justice from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
. There is disagreement about the year of his birth, sometimes given as 1787, 1796,
1797, or 1798. Sources have also shown two different dates of death, November 9 and 11. His tombstone shows he died at the age of 61 on November 11, 1859, which shows the 1798 year of birth to be correct. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pis&GSln=Ransom&GSfn=Epaphroditus+&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=6246099&PIgrid=6246099&PIcrid=1170&PIpi=1270179&
He was the first of twelve children and was educated at various schools in New England
, such as Chester Academy of Vermont
for four years. He studied law at the Law School of Northampton, Massachusetts
receiving his degree in 1823, and then began his own practice in Townshend, Vermont
. He married Almira Cadwell in 1827 and they had four children, yet two would die during infancy. He was elected to the state Vermont House of Representatives
, but after seeing his siblings move to Michigan Territory
as well as receiving advice from former Vermonter and Michigan Territorial delegate
, Lucius Lyon
, decided instead to move his family there in 1834.
. There he gained admittance to the bar and began practicing law. He took up farming and other business ventures and soon became active in politics. He served in the state legislature and became that area's first circuit court judge, riding horseback through the wilderness to hear cases.
Ransom was appointed by Governor
Stevens T. Mason
as an associate justice of the state Supreme Court in 1837 and served as chief justice from 1843 to 1848. In one notable issue, he issued a declaration in 1840 that prevented the removal of the Catholic Potawatomi
from their lands in southwestern Michigan.
, and was the first governor to be inaugurated in Lansing, Michigan
, after the state capitol moved there from Detroit. During his term as governor, the first telegraph line from New York
to Detroit was completed and the first message sent on March 1.
There were two notable immigrations to the state during his administration. A group of Hollanders came to western Michigan, led by Rev. Van Raalte, of the Dutch Reformed Church
. They founded the city of Holland, Michigan
and later established Hope College
. James Jesse Strang led the other immigration, consisting of a faction of Mormon
followers. They settled on Beaver Island
in northern Lake Michigan
. hoe Strang founded a kingdom there with a capital, St. James
named for himself. Strang was even elected to the state legislature twice, but anti-Mormon
sentiment and his totalitarian rule of the island led to his assassination.
Because of Ransom's strong anti-slavery position, the state Democratic Party did not re-nominate him for Governor in 1850. He was elected again to the state legislature in 1853 and 1854.
He was also the first president of the Michigan Agricultural Society, which was instrumental in the creation of both the Michigan State Fair
and Michigan State University
. He served as regent for the University of Michigan
, 1850 to 1852 and was a co-founder of the village of Augusta, Michigan
.
as receiver of the public monies for the Osage Land Office in Fort Scott, Kansas
.
He died at the age of 61 in Fort Scott and is interred at Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo.
Michigan Supreme Court
The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...
justice from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Early life in Massachusetts and Vermont
Ransom was born in Shelburne Falls, MassachusettsShelburne Falls, Massachusetts
Shelburne Falls is a census-designated place in the towns of Shelburne and Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,951 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. There is disagreement about the year of his birth, sometimes given as 1787, 1796,
1797, or 1798. Sources have also shown two different dates of death, November 9 and 11. His tombstone shows he died at the age of 61 on November 11, 1859, which shows the 1798 year of birth to be correct. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pis&GSln=Ransom&GSfn=Epaphroditus+&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=6246099&PIgrid=6246099&PIcrid=1170&PIpi=1270179&
He was the first of twelve children and was educated at various schools in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, such as Chester Academy of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
for four years. He studied law at the Law School of Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
receiving his degree in 1823, and then began his own practice in Townshend, Vermont
Townshend, Vermont
Townshend is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for the Townshend family, powerful figures in British politics...
. He married Almira Cadwell in 1827 and they had four children, yet two would die during infancy. He was elected to the state Vermont House of Representatives
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members. Vermont legislative districting divides representing districts into 66 single-member districts and 42 two-member...
, but after seeing his siblings move to Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
as well as receiving advice from former Vermonter and Michigan Territorial delegate
Michigan Territory's At-large congressional district
Michigan Territory's At-large congressional district is an obsolete congressional district that encompassed the area of the Michigan Territory prior to admitting Michigan to the Union. The territory was established on June 30, 1805 from Indiana Territory...
, Lucius Lyon
Lucius Lyon
Lucius Lyon was a U.S. statesman from the state of Michigan. He was born in Shelburne, Vermont, where he received a common school education and studied engineering and surveying...
, decided instead to move his family there in 1834.
Life and politics in Michigan
After over a month of traveling by wagon and steamboat, the Ransoms arrived in Michigan Territory on November 14, 1834 in the small town of Bronson, which is now Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. There he gained admittance to the bar and began practicing law. He took up farming and other business ventures and soon became active in politics. He served in the state legislature and became that area's first circuit court judge, riding horseback through the wilderness to hear cases.
Ransom was appointed by Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Stevens T. Mason
Stevens T. Mason
Stevens Thomson Mason , also known as Stevens T. Mason, Tom Mason, The Boy Governor, and lesser known nicknames Young Hotspur and The Stripling, was the territorial governor of the Michigan Territory, and later the first Governor of the state of Michigan. Mason guided the Michigan Territory into...
as an associate justice of the state Supreme Court in 1837 and served as chief justice from 1843 to 1848. In one notable issue, he issued a declaration in 1840 that prevented the removal of the Catholic Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
from their lands in southwestern Michigan.
7th Governor of Michigan
In 1848, Ransom resigned from the court after being elected GovernorGovernor of Michigan
The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...
, and was the first governor to be inaugurated in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, after the state capitol moved there from Detroit. During his term as governor, the first telegraph line from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Detroit was completed and the first message sent on March 1.
There were two notable immigrations to the state during his administration. A group of Hollanders came to western Michigan, led by Rev. Van Raalte, of the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
. They founded the city of Holland, Michigan
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
and later established Hope College
Hope College
Hope College is a medium-sized , private, residential liberal arts college located in downtown Holland, Michigan, a few miles from Lake Michigan. It was opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled...
. James Jesse Strang led the other immigration, consisting of a faction of Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
followers. They settled on Beaver Island
Beaver Island (Lake Michigan)
Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination....
in northern Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. hoe Strang founded a kingdom there with a capital, St. James
St. James Township, Michigan
St. James Township is a civil township of Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 307.-History:...
named for himself. Strang was even elected to the state legislature twice, but anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
sentiment and his totalitarian rule of the island led to his assassination.
Because of Ransom's strong anti-slavery position, the state Democratic Party did not re-nominate him for Governor in 1850. He was elected again to the state legislature in 1853 and 1854.
He was also the first president of the Michigan Agricultural Society, which was instrumental in the creation of both the Michigan State Fair
Michigan State Fair
-History:The first official Michigan State Fair was held in 1849, which is claimed by the state of Michigan to be the oldest state fair in the United States. The first fair was held in Detroit, Michigan. Subsequent fairs were held in other cities until it received its permanent home in 1905 at the...
and Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. He served as regent for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, 1850 to 1852 and was a co-founder of the village of Augusta, Michigan
Augusta, Michigan
Augusta is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 899 at the 2000 census. The village is mostly within Ross Township, though a small portion extends south into Charleston Township....
.
Death in Kansas
His private business ventures were ruined by the Panic of 1855, and in 1857, Ransom gratefully accepted appointment from U.S. President James BuchananJames Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
as receiver of the public monies for the Osage Land Office in Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
.
He died at the age of 61 in Fort Scott and is interred at Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo.
External links
- Biographical Portrait from 1892 Portrait & Biographical Album of Genesee, Lapeer & Tuscola Counties, Chapman Bros
- Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society
- Political Graveyard
- Local History from the Kalamazoo Public Library
- Find a Grave