Governor William Medill portrait   Save
Ohio Governors Collection
Description: William Medill (1802-1865) was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives, where he was Speaker of House from 1836-1837. From 1839 to 1846, he represented the 9th Ohio District in the United States House of Representatives. He was appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1845 and served until 1850. Medill was elected to the new post of Lieutenant Governor of Ohio in 1851, where he served until Governor Reuben Wood resigned in 1853. He served as Governor until 1855. He proposed that the state privatize all canals, turnpikes, and other transportation interests in Ohio. These recommendations were not acted on while Medill was Governor. When Medill ran for re-election as governor in 1855, he faced strong opposition from Salmon P. Chase of the newly-formed Republican Party. Chase ran on an anti-slavery platform and defeated Medill by a significant margin. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV105_1_15
Subjects: Ohio--Governors--Portraits; Ohio History--State and Local Government
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)