STATES AND TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED

In this post we will looking at Indiana and its territories, Its past and present governors and current House of representative’s members.

INTRODUCTION.

is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th state on December 11, 1816. It is bordered by Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the south and southeast, and the Wabash River and Illinois to the west. Various indigenous peoples inhabited Indiana for thousands of years, some of whom the U.S. government expelled between 1800 and 1836. Indiana received its name because the state was largely possessed by native tribes even after it was granted statehood. Since then, settlement patterns in Indiana have reflected regional cultural segmentation present in the Eastern United States; the state’s northernmost tier was settled primarily by people from New England and New York, Central Indiana by migrants from the Mid-Atlantic states and adjacent Ohio, and Southern Indiana by settlers from the Upland South, particularly Kentucky and Tennessee. Indiana has a diverse economy with a gross state product of $377.1 billion in 2019. It has several metropolitan areas with populations greater than 100,000 and a number of smaller cities and towns. Indiana is home to professional sports teams, including the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, and hosts several notable competitive events, including the Indianapolis 500.

INDIANA TERRITORIES.

With a total area (land and water) of 36,418 square miles (94,320 km2), Indiana ranks as the 38th largest state in size. The state has a maximum dimension north to south of 250 miles (400 km) and a maximum east to west dimension of 145 miles (233 km).[60] The state’s geographic center (39° 53.7’N, 86° 16.0W) is in Marion County. Located in the Midwestern United States, Indiana is one of eight states that make up the Great Lakes Region. Indiana is bordered on the north by Michigan, on the east by Ohio, and on the west by Illinois, partially separated by the Wabash River. Lake Michigan borders Indiana on the northwest and the Ohio River separates Indiana from Kentucky on the south. The Indiana Territory at its greatest extent included modern-day Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and part of Minnesota. It formerly was part of the Northwest Territory. As Ohio began the process of becoming a state in 1800, the Congress separated the area into two distinct territories. William Henry Harrison served as the first governor of the Indiana Territory and was in office until 1812.

As governor, Harrison ruled strictly. Many white settlers in the area were opposed to slavery and it had been prohibited by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Harrison was from a prominent slaveholding family and did not vigorously enforce the law against slavery in the Indiana Territory. He did permit the formation of a territorial legislature in 1805, but he ignored most of its requests. His authority remained virtually unchallenged until 1809, when the United States government separated modern-day Indiana from the other land originally included in the Indiana Territory. Many of the residents still under his leadership disliked the governor. In 1810, the legislature outlawed slavery and ended land ownership as a requirement for adult white men to be able to vote. Harrison’s strict rule is surprising. When he resided in what would become Ohio, he strongly opposed the strict rule of Northwest Territorial Governor Arthur St. Clair. Harrison’s actions suggest that he was less upset with St. Clair’s political views and more angered by his own lack of power. Although Harrison was not well liked by some of his constituents, he did do much to enhance the power of the United States in the early 1800s. While he served as governor, Harrison also worked as the Superintendent for Indian Affairs in the American Northwest. He convinced many American Indians to relinquish millions of acres of land in the former Northwest Territory. This was in spite of the fact that the United States had promised this land to the Indians in the Treaty of Greenville of 1795. Not all tribes were willing to give up their claims to the land. Chief among these people were the Shawnee Indians, led by Tecumseh and his brother, the Shawnee Prophet. These two men worked together to form a confederation of all Indian tribes west of the Appalachian Mountains. Harrison marched against Tecumseh in late 1811. While Tecumseh was away seeking additional followers, Harrison attacked the Shawnees’ major village, Prophetstown. Prophetstown was located at the junction of the Tippecanoe River and the Wabash River in modern-day Indiana. On November 7, 1811, at the Battle of Tippecanoe, the American army destroyed the village. Indiana became the nineteenth state of the United States of America on December 11, 1816.

LIST OF GOVERNORS AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE’S MEMBERS.

While a territory, Indiana had two governors appointed by the President of the United States. Since statehood in 1816, it has had 49 governors, serving 51 distinct terms; Isaac P. Gray and Henry F. Schricker are the only governors to have served non-consecutive terms. Four governors have served two four-year terms; territorial governor William Henry Harrison served for over 12 years. The shortest-serving governor is Henry Smith Lane, who served two days before resigning to become a U.S. Senator. The current governor is Eric Holcomb, who took office on January 9, 2017. Indiana Territory was formed on July 4, 1800, from the Northwest Territory. Despite remaining a territory for nearly 16 years, it had only two governors appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state.

Governors of the State of Illinois

Indiana was admitted to the Union on December 11, 1816.

The original 1816 Constitution of Indiana provided for the election of a governor and a lieutenant governor every three years, limited to six years out of any nine-year period. The second and current constitution of 1851 lengthened terms to four years and set the commencement of the governor’s term on the second Monday in the January following the election. Governors were allowed to serve for four years in any eight-year period but a 1972 amendment permitted governors to serve for eight years in any twelve-year period. Should the office of governor become vacant, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.  If the office of lieutenant governor is vacant, the president pro tempore of the Indiana Senate becomes governor; this has happened once, when James B. Ray succeeded William Hendricks.

MEMBERS OF REPRESENTATIVES TO THE U.S. HOUSE FROM INDIANA

The following is an alphabetical list of members of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Indiana. For chronological tables of members of both houses of the United States Congress from the state (through the present day), see United States congressional delegations from Indiana.

LIST OF MEMBERS AND DELEGATES.