Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
1900.001.013 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Collection |
Statehouse Artwork Collection/Governors' Portraits |
Title |
Protrait of Robert Lucas |
Artist |
Murray, Mary |
Date |
1870 |
Description |
Full-front view of Robert Lucas, Ohio's twelfth governor (1832-1836). He wears a black suit, white shirt and black banded tie. He has white hair and a stern expression. |
Material |
Oil Paint/Canvas/Wood |
Notes |
Robert Lucas was born in Jefferson County, (West) Virginia in 1781. After spending his youth and young adulthood in Virginia involved in agrarian pursuits, he freed his slaves, sold his lands, and moved to Scioto County, Ohio (then the Northwest Territory) in 1800. In 1804 he was appointed county surveyor for Scioto County, and the following year was made Justice of the Peace. Lucas served as a Major General of the Ohio Militia during the War of 1812, sending 1200 soldiers of his brigade on the march to Fort Detroit. He also served the role of scout, mapping the movements of the Indian forces around Greeneville in 1813. Lucas was elected to the Ohio Legislature in 1816, and served in either the House of Representatives or the Upper House for the next 19 years. In 1832 he was Democratic National Chairman, and assisted in the nomination of Andrew Jackson to his second term as President of the United States. He was elected to the governorship of Ohio in 1832 and in 1834 he was reelected to that post. During his term in office, Lucas took part in the controversy surrounding the border with Michigan. The border between the two states was in dispute and Toledo's status lay in the balance. Later in life he was appointed Governor of the Territory of Iowa, and also Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Lucas died in Iowa City, Iowa in 1853. |
Provenance |
In 1867, the Ohio General Assembly passed a joint resolution relative to the governors of Ohio. The legislators resolved that "the secretary of state, on the first Monday of January next, whether the portraits of the governors of Ohio, state and territorial, can be procured, and if so, whether original portraits or copies, and the probable expense of procuring such portraits for the governor's office." William Henry Smith, Ohio's sixteenth secretary of state, was tasked with contacting the descendants of all governors to date. He corresponded with families and sometimes traveled the country to meet them. The painting is attributed to Miss Mary Murray of Iowa--little is known of her or her work. However, Robert Lucas moved to Iowa and served as its first territorial governor from 1838 to 1841. He died in Iowa in 1853. The portrait was in the governor's office in 1871. The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board took over the care of the Statehouse and its collections in 1988. |
Image size |
33" x 26" |
Frame size |
37-1/4" x 30" |
Frame desc |
Gilt frame with carved beaded liner |
People |
Lucas, Robert, 1781-1853 Murray, Mary Smith, William Henry, 1833-1896 |
Search Terms |
Ohio Governor Ohio Governor's Portraits |
Subjects |
Governors Painting Portrait paintings |