Date Original
1807-1909
Description
This collection contains correspondence, notes, resolutions, agreements, a diary, and other items pertaining to William Savin Fulton and his family.
Biographical/Historical Note
William Savin Fulton was born in Cecil County, Maryland, on June 2, 1795. He attended Baltimore College in 1813 before beginning his law practice in 1817. Fulton also served as a corporal in the Baltimore Fencibles, an elite volunteer unit, alongside his father in the days leading up to the fourteen-hour naval bombardment at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. In 1815, Fulton traveled to Florida to serve as private secretary to General Andrew Jackson in the Seminole Wars. After his service, Fulton moved to Tennessee in 1820 and then to Florence, Alabama, where he engaged in law and wrote editorials for the Democratic newspaper, the Florence Gazette. He served as judge of Lauderdale County, Alabama, in the 1820s. Fulton married Matilda Frances Now land, in 1823. The couple had eight children: Elizabeth Rebecca, David Peregrine, Hickory, Sophia, Mary Jane, Matilda Frances, Maria Eller, and Ida. Only Elizabeth, Sophia, and Ida would survive to adulthood. In 1829, Fulton was appointed by President Andrew Jackson as the secretary to the Territory of Arkansas, replacing Robert Crittenden. During Governor Pope’s frequent absences from Arkansas, Fulton often acted as governor or traveled between Washington, District of Columbia, and Little Rock, Arkansas, on territorial business. Jackson appointed Fulton as Governor of the Arkansas Territory on March 9, 1835. Fulton was generally opposed to Arkansas statehood on the grounds that neither the people nor the resources were ready. Despite the criticism aimed at him for this view, Fulton was appointed by President Jackson to serve as the first junior senator from the State of Arkansas to the United States Congress in 1836, a position he held until his death in late 1844.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Little Rock, Pulaski County (Ark.); Des Arc, Prairie County (Ark.); Arkansas; Alabama; Maryland; Missouri; Tennessee; Brazil
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000066
Resource Type
Text
Collection
William Savin Fulton papers, MS.000066
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
William Savin Fulton papers, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
