Asa S. Bushnell 1898 State of the State Address   Save
Ohio Governors Collection
Description: This 40 page booklet contains the text of Governor Asa S. Bushnell’s annual message to the General Assembly of Ohio on January 3, 1898. Governor of Ohio from 1896 to 1900, the Republican Bushnell (1834-1904) was also a business executive. He approached the emergence of the corporation during his administration with caution, endorsing the Valentine Anti-Trust Act, which barred price fixing and production limitation. Under Bushnell, the assembly also passed legislation improving social issues such as work hours and factory conditions. In addition, Bushnell’s support of the Spanish-American War, which broke out in 1898 due to intervention in Cuba, led him to mobilize Ohio troops and resources immediately. In this message, Bushnell proudly commented that “Ohio was the first State in the Union to put a volunteer regiment in the field.” Bushnell was born in Rome, New York and moved to Ohio at the age of 11. During the Civil War, Bushnell served as a captain in the Union army. After the war he pursued a business career in manufacturing agricultural materials. He also purchased the First National Bank of Springfield and the Springfield Gas Company, both in Springfield, Ohio. In 1895 Bushnell was the Republican candidate for governor and emerged victorious after receiving support from political boss George B. Cox of Cincinnati. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3599_001
Subjects: Presidents and Politics; Ohio Government; Governors
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Springfield (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)