I got to wondering the other day if Robert E. Lucas, Iowa's first territorial governor 1838-1841, ever visited the county named in his honor --- and the truth of the matter is we'll most likely never know. Lucas (above), age 64, was alive and well and living in Iowa City on the 13th of January 1846 when Lucas County was created by the territorial legislature. But the details of his travel agenda aren't available.
In fact, we don't even know whose idea it was to name a county for him. Mr. Lucas was an honorable man with a distinguished military and public service career (Lucas County, Ohio, already bore his name; he'd been governor of that state 1832-36). But his temper was legendary and his relationship with the Iowa territorial legislature, rocky.
We do know, however, that his grandson, Robert Lucas III (left), did visit Chariton during June of 1932, as Chariton was preparing to celebrate its 75th year as an incorporated city (Chariton was created during the fall of 1849, but not incorporated until 1857 and the gap has caused more than a few headaches for anniversary planners over the years).
Robert Lucas III (1859-1935) was living at the time in Pierce, Pierce County, Nebraska, a city in northeast Nebraska founded by his father, Robert Sumner Lucas (1832-1877) during 1870. Here's the account of the visit, published in The Leader of June 14, 1932. Be warned in advance that either the Lucas grandson or The Leader reporter --- or both --- had a less than firm grip on some of the facts when the piece was written.
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A grandson of Iowa's first territorial governor, Robert E. Lucas, paid a timely visit to Lucas county and Chariton last week as the city prepared to observe its seventy-fifth anniversary of existence.
Robert Lucas, the grandson, was en route home from a winter spent in Florida when he decided to stop and visit the county that was named after his illustrious grandfather. He stopped at the Chariton newspaper office in the afternoon and visited briefly with members of the editorial staff.
"My grandfather was a brigadier general in the War of 1812," Lucas stated. "He was the same type of man as was Andrew Jackson, whom he greatly admired.
"It was at the Democratic national convention in Baltimore in 1840 when Jackson was a candidate for president that my grandfather first took an active part in the political situation in America.
"At that time there were two wings of the Democratic part, one of which was led by Calhoun and the other by Jackson, who was my grandfather's candidate.
"My grandfather was made chairman of the convention, during which time the two thirds rule was first adopted," Lucas said.
When Jackson turned his influence to Van Buren, the latter was elected president of the United States.
General Lucas went to Ohio in 1798 from Virginia, where he served two terms as territorial governor. It was during his stay in Ohio that he felt the weight of the emancipation movement and freed all his slaves. "Even today, in Ohio, there are large numbers of negroes bearing the name of Lucas," Lucas said.
In 1836, Lucas wanted to come west and Jackson prevailed upon Van Buren to appoint him governor of Iowa. At that time, Burlington was the capital of the state. It was later transferred to Iowa City and thence to Des Moines.
Lucas's uncle, Col. E.W. Lucas, a brother-in-law of Governor Kirkwood, has one son living in Iowa City, Clark Lucas. Governor Lucas is buried in the Iowa City cemetery and an imposing monument marks his burial place.
Robert Lucas, the grandson that came to Chariton last week; his cousin, Clark; Mrs. Florence Horton of San Diego, Calif., Virginia Couzens of Berkeley, California, Lee Lucas and Geraldine Lucas, of Jackson, Wyoming, are the only survivors of General Robert E. Lucas today.
It was during the time of Lucas's administration that the southern boundaries of the state was fixed. "It was partly the influence of my grandfather that this strip of land was made part of the state of Iowa instead of Missouri," Lucas said.
Grandson Lucas was born in Iowa and left here when he was 10 years old. He went to Nebraska in 1870 when most of that state was still "wild west."
Lucas County, Ohio, was also named after General Lucas, his grandson said.
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Contrary to a statement attributed to his grandson, Robert E. Lucas presided over the Democratic Convention in Baltimore during 1832, not 1840, and had been active in politics for years before that.
Robert E. Lucas, contrary to his grandson's statements, never owned slaves. His father, William, had owned slaves while living in Virginia but influenced by his Quaker principles freed them, made provision for their future as free people and then moved his family to Ohio, where slavery was not permitted.
But yes, Gov. Lucas and his counterpart in Missouri, Lilburn Boggs, were responsible for the Honey War of 1839, an odd little standoff that produced no fatalities but did contribute in a way to the eventual settlement of the Iowa-Missouri border dispute.
Robert E. Lucas died in Iowa City on Feb. 7, 1853, age 71. He is buried in that city's Oakland Cemetery and his home, Plum Grove, is a state-owned historic site.
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