Isaac Vincent
Isaac Vincent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 13th Treasurer of Alabama | |
| In office 1878–1883 | |
| Governor | Rufus W. Cobb Edward A. O'Neal |
| Preceded by | Daniel Crawford |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Isaac Harvey Vincent 1830/1842 Matagorda County, Republic of Texas |
| Died | March 12, 1898 Palo Pinto, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | LaFayette, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic Conservative People's |
Isaac Harvey Vincent (1830/1842 – March 12, 1898) was an American politician who served as the 13th Treasurer of Alabama.
Early life
[edit]Isaac Harvey Vincent was born in Matagorda County, Republic of Texas, in 1830 or November-December 1842. His family moved to Alabama after his mother's death and he grew up in Autauga and Chambers counties. He was captain of company one in the 47th Alabama Infantry during the American Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness. He married Frances Richards, the daughter of newspaper editor and probate judge Evan Richards,[1][2][3] and had two children with her.[4]
Career
[edit]Vincent was a delegate to the 1867 Conservative convention representing Chambers County.[5] He was elected treasurer of Chambers County in 1871.[6] He worked as a private secretary for Governor George S. Houston from 1876 to 1878.[7]
Vincent sought the Democratic nomination for state auditor in 1876, but withdrew after the third ballot and Willis Brewer was nominated instead.[8] He won the Democratic nomination for Alabama State Treasurer with unanimous support on the fifth ballot and won in the 1878 election. He was elected to two more terms.[1][7][9] He defeated Isaac M. Jackson, J.M. Renfro, and G.H. Gibson after seven ballots at the Democratic convention in 1882.[10]
Theft and later life
[edit]On January 29, 1883, Vincent stole over $200,000 in state money[1][11] and a $5,000 (equivalent to $163,500 in 2023) reward was offered for his arrest.[12] A committee investigating the treasurer reports stated that there was a deficit of $217,687.[13] He eluded arrest until being captured by deputy sheriff Eldridge C. Ray, who received the $5,000 reward, in Big Sandy, Texas, on March 13, 1887. He stated that his escape route went from Alabama to Cincinnati to St. Louis and ended in Mexico where he and his family lived. He was suffering from a lung disease for the past two years and was seeking treatment in New York.[14][15][16]
Vincent returned to Alabama on March 16, was indicted on 39 charges of embezzlement. He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison on three counts of embezzlement while the remaining charges were nolle prosequi.[17][11] He was sent to work at the coal mines in Pratt.[18]
In 1889, Vincent requested the state legislature to put a pardon for him onto the ballot as a referendum.[19] He was pardoned by Governor Thomas G. Jones on May 23, 1893,[20] after a petition was signed by 25,000 people and 108 legislators.[21] He became a life insurance agent and edited the Montly Union, a newspaper affiliated with the People's Party.[22][23] Vincent died in Palo Pinto, Texas, on March 12, 1898, and was buried in LaFayette, Alabama.[24][25]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Alabama State Treasurer Isaac Harvey Vincent". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024.
- ^ "Vincent's Condition". Prattville Progress. March 16, 1888. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Capt. I H Vincent". LaFayette Sun. April 6, 1888. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vincent Pardoned". The Birmingham News. May 24, 1893. p. 5. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Conservative State Convention". Montgomery Advertiser. September 10, 1867. p. 4. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Elected County Treasurer". Montgomery Advertiser. November 12, 1867. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "The Defaulter". Eufaula Daily Times. February 1, 1883. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Proceedings of the Democratic and Conservative State Convention". The Northwest Alabamian and The Fayette Banner. June 6, 1876. p. 5. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "State Treasurer". Montgomery Advertiser. May 31, 1878. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nominations for Treasurer". Montgomery Advertiser. June 9, 1882. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Hunt not only politician to face ethics conviction". Montgomery Advertiser. August 10, 1993. p. 3B. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "$5,000 Reward". Tri-Weekly Herald. February 6, 1883. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Precise Figures of the Deficit". Birmingham Iron Age. February 8, 1883. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Alabama's Defaulting Treasurer Captured". Topeka Daily Capital. March 16, 1887. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vincent's Capture". Winfield Daily Courier. March 17, 1887. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Wanderer". Montgomery Advertiser. March 16, 1887. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "End of the Vincent Case". The Anthony Republican. November 15, 1887. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vincent Going". Montgomery Advertiser. December 15, 1887. p. 11. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wants a Pardon from the People". Daily Gazette. November 27, 1889. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vincent Pardoned". Daily Mountain Eagle. May 24, 1893. p. 4. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ike Vincent Pardoned". Selma Times-Journal. May 26, 1893. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Isaac H. Vincent". Birmingham Post-Herald. June 17, 1893. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vincent Advised". The Standard Gauge. April 19, 1894. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Remains of Isaac H. Vincent Buried Here Yesterday". Montgomery Advertiser. March 17, 1898. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ex-Treasurer Vincent". Montgomery Advertiser. March 18, 1898. p. 5. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.