April 29, 1848

Chester Ashley died in Washington DC while representing Arkansas in the U.S. Senate. Ashley was prominent in territorial and antebellum Arkansas and was involved in the dispute over ownership of the site of Little Rock (Pulaski County). A member of the political powerhouse known as the “Family,” Ashley was the third Arkansan elected to the Senate and was probably the wealthiest citizen of Arkansas for much of his adult life.