page_title: James Whitcomb
section_title: Senator and death
hierarchical_section_title: James Whitcomb / Senator and death
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue of James Whitcomb (ca. 1899), by John H. Mahoney. Whitcomb was governor of Indiana during the Mexican-American War, and the namesake of James Whitcomb Riley.
context_page_description: James Whitcomb was a Democratic United States Senator and the eighth Governor of Indiana. As governor during the Mexican–American War, he oversaw the formation and deployment of the state's levies. He led the movement to replace the state constitution and played an important role at the convention to institute a law that prevented the government from taking loans in response the current fiscal crisis in Indiana. By skillfully guiding the state through its bankruptcy, Whitcomb is usually credited as being one of the most successful of Indiana's governors. He was elected to the United States Senate after his term as governor but died of kidney disease only two years later.
context_section_description: In 1848, before his second term ended, Whitcomb was elected by the legislature to become a member of the United States Senate. He resigned as governor and served in the Senate from 1849 until his death in 1852, and was a staunch opponent of tariffs. While in Washington, D.C., he served several years as the Vice-President of the American Bible Society, remaining in that position until his death. He became afflicted by kidney stones and sought medical treatment in New York City for kidney disease. He died from the illness in New York City on October 4, 1852. His remains were returned to Indianapolis, to be buried in Greenlawn Cemetery, where the state erected a monument over his grave. In 1898 his daughter had his body exhumed and moved to Crown Hill Cemetery next to the grave of Oliver P. Morton. In his will, Whitcomb left his large private library and part of his estate to the Methodist Asbury College (now known as DePauw University). He also left a large donation for the American Bible Association. His library is thought to be haunted by some of its patrons. There is a statue of Whitcomb on Monument Circle in Indianapolis.
  James Whitcomb Riley's father was a close friend of Whitcomb and named his son after the governor. Whitcomb's pamphlet on tariffs became popular again after his death and was circulated nationally during the failed reelection campaign of Benjamin Harrison, who was a proponent of tariffs. Whitcomb was not the most popular of Indiana's politicians and gained many enemies during his time in office, but was well respected and remembered as one of Indiana's most important governors.
caption: Statue of James Whitcomb at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
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