Timeline
1825 New Governor Appointed
Now mindful of the concerns of Arkansas settlers, Secretary of War John C. Calhoun and a delegation from the Choctaw Nation came to agreement on January 20 establishing a new reservation for the tribe. The Treaty of 1820, which had set aside a large part of settled Arkansas Territory for the Choctaws, was superseded. The Choctaws, who still resided east of the Mississippi River, were now to move west of a line running south from Fort Smith. The new treaty freed Arkansas Territory of almost all Indian claims.
In the House of Representatives, John Quincy Adams received a majority vote over Andrew Jackson and William Crawford. As one of the new president's first official actions, he appointed George Izard Governor of Arkansas Territory.
On May 31, Izard arrived in Little Rock from Philadelphia and immediately set to work. Secretary and Acting Governor Crittenden, hoping for the position himself, had left for Kentucky when he heard of Izard's appointment. The new governor did not appreciate Crittenden's absence or his apparent neglect of duty as judged by the condition of the government's records.
Crittenden's relationship with the new governor was strained from the beginning, but Izard made quick allies of Henry Conway, Ambrose Sevier, Chester Ashley and William Woodruff. By the end of the year Conway, Sevier and Ashley had been appointed the Governor's aides-de-camp with the militia rank of lieutenant colonel. All three men carried the title of colonel the rest of their lives.
In the congressional election held on August 1, Henry Conway won a resounding victory over J. Woodson Bates-2,105 to 519.
The Erie Canal, crossing New York state from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, opened in October. This marvel of engineering further stimulated immigration and trade in the Midwest.
