Delos R. Ashley

Delos Rodeyn Ashley (February 19, 1828 – July 18, 1873) was a California and Nevada politician who served as State Treasurer of California and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Nevada.

Delos R. Ashley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Nevada's At-Large district
In office
March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1869
Preceded byHenry G. Worthington
Succeeded byThomas Fitch
State Treasurer of California
In office
1862–1863
GovernorLeland Stanford
Preceded byThomas Findley
Succeeded byRomualdo Pacheco
President pro tempore of the California State Senate
In office
1856–1857
Preceded byRoyal Sprague
Succeeded bySamuel H. Dosh
Member of the California Senate
In office
1856–1857
Member of the California State Assembly
In office
1854–1855
Personal details
Born(1828-02-19)February 19, 1828
Arkansas Post, Arkansas Territory
DiedJuly 18, 1873(1873-07-18) (aged 45)
San Francisco, California
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Colma, California
Political partyDemocratic
Know Nothing
Republican
SpouseAnnie (McNamara) Ashley
Children4
ProfessionAttorney

Biography

Ashley was born at Arkansas Post, Arkansas Territory, on February 19, 1828.[1] He received his education in the local schools, then studied law with an attorney in Monroe, Michigan.[2] He was admitted to the bar in 1849, and moved to Monterey, California, where he established a practice.[1][3]

As a member of the Democratic Party,[4] Ashley served as district attorney of Monterey County from 1851 to 1852.[1] From 1854 to 1855 he represented the 3rd District in the California State Assembly.[1] From 1856 to 1857 he served in the California State Senate as a member of the Know Nothings.[1][4] During his senate term, he was the body's president pro tempore.[5] He later became a Republican,[4] and he served as California State Treasurer from 1862 to 1863.[1]

In 1864 Ashley moved to Virginia City, Nevada.[1] In 1865, news accounts indicated he had been a passenger aboard the steamship Yosemite when her boiler exploded, killing 55 and injuring and burning dozens more.[6] Ashley was blown into the Sacramento River, and escaped the wreck by swimming to shore.[6]

Later that year he was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Nevada's at-large district.[1] He was reelected in 1866 and served from March 4, 1865 to March 3, 1869.[1] He was not a candidate for reelection in 1868.[1] During his Congressional service, Ashley was chairman of the Committee on Mines and Mining.[7]

He moved to Pioche, Nevada, in 1871 and resumed practicing law.[1] When his health began to fail in 1872, Ashley moved to San Francisco, California, where he lived in retirement until his death on July 18, 1873.[1] He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in San Francisco, and was later part of a mass reburial of Calvary Cemetery[8] remains at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma, California, Section H.[9]

Family

Ashley was the husband of Annie (McNamara) Ashley (1835–1885).[9] They were the parents of four children:

  • Delos Richard Ashley (1852–1932)[9]
  • Annie Rosalie Ashley O'Connell (1854–1899), the wife of Daniel O'Connell[9][10]
  • Ida Inez Ashley Eddy (1861–1932)[9]
  • Victoria Frances Ashley (1864–1864)[9]

References
  1. Joint Committee on Printing, U.S. Congress (1961). Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1961. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 492 – via Google Books.
  2. Barnes, William Horatio (1868). History of the Thirty-ninth Congress of the United States. New York, NY: Harper & Brothers. p. 578 – via Google Books.
  3. "California Emigrants: Latest from Fort Independence; Correspondence of the Missouri Republican". The Evening Post. New York, NY. April 23, 1849. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Candidate Biography: Delos Rodeyn Ashley". JoinCalifornia.com. Alex Vassar & Shane Meyers. 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  5. "California Legislature: Seventh Session; Senate". Placer Herald. Rocklin, CA. January 12, 1856. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Hon. D. R. Ashley". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, CA. November 4, 1865. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Committee on Resources, U.S. House of Representatives (2002). Historical Information of the Committee on Resources and Its Predecessor Committees, 1807–2002. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 373. ISBN 978-0-1606-9552-0 – via Google Books.
  8. Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Company. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-8063-4823-0 – via Google Books.
  9. gentlemanrob (February 14, 2021). "Delos Rodeyn Ashley Sr". CivilWarTalk. Martinsburg, WV: Mike Kendra. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  10. "Obituary: Hon. Delos R. Ashley". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, CA. August 2, 1873. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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