Epaphroditus Ransom (March 24, 1798 – November 11, 1859) was an American politician who worked as the seventh governor of Michigan and as a judge on the Michigan Supreme Court.
Early life
Ransom was born in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. Some sources say he was born in 1787, 1796, or 1798. There are also two different dates for his death: November 9 and November 11. His tombstone states he died on November 11, 1859, at the age of 61. This supports the birth year of 1798.
He was the fourth of twelve children. He attended several schools in New England, including Chester Academy in Vermont, where he studied for four years. He later studied law at Northampton Law School in Northampton, Massachusetts, and earned his degree in 1823. Afterward, he started his own law practice in Townshend, Vermont.
Ransom married Almira Cadwell on February 21, 1827, in Montpelier, Vermont. Together, they had four children, but two died before reaching the age of one. He was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. However, after seeing his siblings move to the Michigan Territory and receiving advice from Lucius Lyon, a former Vermonter and Michigan Territorial delegate, he decided to move his family to Michigan Territory in 1834.
Life and politics in Michigan
After traveling by wagon and steamboat for more than a month, the Ransoms reached Michigan Territory on November 14, 1834, in the small town of Bronson, which is now known as Kalamazoo, Michigan. There, he was allowed to practice law and joined the bar. He also started farming and took part in other business activities. Soon, he became involved in politics and worked in the state legislature. He became the first circuit court judge in that area, traveling by horseback through the wilderness to listen to court cases.
In 1837, Governor Stevens T. Mason named Ransom as an associate justice of the state Supreme Court. He later served as chief justice from 1843 to 1848. In 1840, he made a decision that stopped the forced removal of the Catholic Potawatomi people from their land in southwestern Michigan.
Governor of Michigan and later life
In 1848, Ransom left his position at the court after being chosen as governor. He became the first governor to take office in Lansing, Michigan, after the state capitol moved there from Detroit. During his time as governor, the first telegraph line connecting New York City to Detroit was completed, and the first message was sent on March 1.
Two important groups of people moved to Michigan during his leadership. A group of Dutch immigrants, led by Rev. Van Raalte of the Dutch Reformed Church, settled in western Michigan. They established the city of Holland, Michigan, and later created Hope College. Another group, led by James Jesse Strang, consisted of a group of Mormons. They settled on Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan. Strang created a kingdom there, with a capital named St. James, which he named after himself. Strang was elected to the state legislature twice, but anti-Mormon feelings and his strict control over the island led to his assassination.
Because Ransom strongly opposed slavery, the state Democratic Party did not choose him again as governor in 1850. He was later elected to the state legislature in 1853 and 1854.
Ransom was also the first president of the Michigan Agricultural Society, which helped create the Michigan State Fair and Michigan State University. He served as a regent of the University of Michigan from 1850 to 1852 and was one of the founders of the village of Augusta, Michigan.
His business efforts failed due to the Panic of 1855. In 1857, Ransom accepted a job from U.S. President James Buchanan as the person responsible for managing public money at the Osage Land Office in Fort Scott, Kansas.