Preceded by John S. Roane Succeeded by Henry Massey Rector Political party Democratic Resigned November 16, 1860 | Name Elias Conway Siblings James Sevier Conway Party Democratic Party | |
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Born May 17, 1812
Greene County, Tennessee ( 1812-05-17 ) Role Former Governor of Arkansas Died February 28, 1892, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States Previous office Governor of Arkansas (1852–1860) | ||
Elias Nelson Conway (May 17, 1812 – February 28, 1892) was an American politician who served as the 5th Governor of Arkansas from 1852 to 1860.
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Biography
Conway was born in Greeneville, Tennessee. Born into a political family, Elias Nelson Conway was the younger brother of Henry Wharton Conway, who served as territorial delegate to several Congresses, and James Sevier Conway, who became the first governor of Arkansas when it was admitted as a state in 1836.
When he was a boy, his family moved from Tennessee to Missouri. Conway attended Bonne Femme Academy in Boone County, Missouri. His older brother Henry died in 1827 as a result of a duel with a former friend, Robert Crittenden.
In 1833, Conway moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where his older brothers had settled. He studied surveying. In 1835, he was appointed as the state auditor, and served until 1849.
Political career
In 1844, Elias Conway was offered, and declined, the Democratic nomination for governor. When offered the nomination again in 1852, he accepted. With a successful campaign, he was elected as Governor of Arkansas. He was reelected to a second term in 1856.
His administration focused on physical improvements to the state: roads and other infrastructure to encourage development. He formed the Chancery Courts and eased the state's financial problems. When Conway left office in 1860, the state treasury held a surplus.
Conway formed the Geological Survey of Arkansas, commissioning Principal Geologist David Dale Owen, to survey the territory west of Little Rock and provide a report on the area. The 'Natural Steps' were first written about and drawn by Owen, in his Second Report of a Geological Reconnaissance of the Middle and Southern Counties of Arkansas (1859).
Family life
Conway was first cousin to Senator Ambrose Hundley Sevier and Governor Henry Massey Rector.
Death
After Conway retired from public life, he became somewhat of a recluse. Conway is buried at the historic Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas.