2603:6010:3300:1E5:F93C:2D7D:E9BA:DE6D at 18:38, 18 May 2025

2025-05-18T18:38:17Z

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{{short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name =Ira Joy Chase
|image =Gov ira chase of indiana.gif
|office1 =Governor of Indiana
|order1 =22nd
|term_start1 =November 23, 1891
|term_end1 =January 9, 1893
|lieutenant1 =[[Francis M. Griffin]] (acting)
|predecessor1 =[[Alvin Peterson Hovey]]
|successor1 =[[Claude Matthews]]
|office2 =Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
|order2 =22nd
|governor2 =[[Alvin Peterson Hovey]]
|term_start2 =January 14, 1889
|term_end2 =November 23, 1891
|predecessor3 =[[Alonzo G. Smith]] as Acting Lieutenant Governor
|successor3 =[[Francis M. Griffin]] as Acting Lieutenant Governor
|birth_date=December 7, 1834
|birth_place= [[Monroe County, New York]], US
|death_date= {{death date and age|1895|05|11|1834|12|7}}
|death_place= [[Lubec, Maine]], US
|party = [[United States Republican Party|Republican]]

|allegiance=United States
|branch= [[United States Army]]
|serviceyears=1860–1861
|rank=[[chaplain]]
|commands=
|unit=
|battles=[[American Civil War]]
|spouse = Rhoda Jane Castle
|signature = Signature of Ira Joy Chase (1834–1895).png
}}
'''Ira Joy Chase''' (December 7, 1834{{spaced ndash}}May 11, 1895) was a veteran of the [[American Civil War]], a leading member of the [[Grand Army of the Republic]], a prominent [[Church of Christ]] evangelist, and the [[List of governors of Indiana|22nd governor of Indiana]] between November 23, 1891, and January 9, 1893.

==Early life==
Ira Joy Chase was born in 1834 in [[New York (state)|New York]], the son of Benjamin and Lordina Mix Chase. His parents were poor, and spent much of his early life moving from place to place. He was educated at [[Medina Academy]] where he received a common education, and then attended the [[Milan Seminary]] to be trained as a minister. In 1855 his family moved to [[Barrington, Illinois]]. There he and his father took a job driving wagon teams in the [[Chicago]] stockyards. He soon found work as a teacher, where he met Rhoda Jane Castle. He married her and had three children before he joined the Union army at the start of the American Civil War. His health was frequently poor during the war, so he was removed from front-line duty and served as a drill instructor to prepare and train new recruits. His health still worsened and he was forced to spend several months in a military hospital. His wife heard of his situation and left their [[Illinois]] home to be with him in [[Tennessee]]. She was not permitted to remain in the hospital because she was a civilian, so she joined the army as a nurse. As his health recovered, he returned to duty as a [[chaplain]].<ref>Gugin. p. 198</ref>

The day after they left to return home in 1864, she contracted [[smallpox]]. Chase spent several weeks nursing her back to health, but the virus left her blind and crippled. Chase opened a hardware store to try to support his family, but the community avoided contact with him for weeks after his wife's smallpox had gone; the lack of customers forced him to close the store. He began preaching in local churches, and gained popularity in the community for his sermons against liquor. In 1867 he moved to [[Indiana]] to become the minister of the Christian Church of [[Mishawaka, Indiana]]. He also pastored in churches in [[La Porte, Indiana|La Porte]], [[Wabash, Indiana|Wabash]], and [[Danville, Indiana|Danville]].<ref name = g200>Gugin, p. 200</ref>

Chase was one of the founding members of the [[Grand Army of the Republic]]. He became chaplain of the Indiana G.A.R. in 1886 and was elected as the department head in 1887, and served for several years in that position. The group was heavily involved in political lobbying, primarily to secure benefits for veterans of the Civil War. His high standing in the organization gained him clout in political circles because of his ability influence members' votes.<ref name = g200/>

==Political career==

[[File:Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument seen from the south in Monument Circle, Indianapolis.jpg|thumb|left|Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in 2016]]

Because of his influence in the Indiana G.A.R., he was elected the [[Lieutenant Governor of Indiana|20th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana]] on January 14, 1889, and served until the death of Governor [[Alvin Peterson Hovey]]. He was criticized by the [[Methodists]] and other large denominations for continuing to serve as a minister during his tenure primarily because of their dislike for the Church of Christ.

==Governor of Indiana (1891-1893)==
He was sworn in as governor on November 23, 1891, and served until January 9, 1893. His administration oversaw the expansion of the state's road system and the construction of the state's [[Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)|Soldiers' and Sailors' monument]]. He also returned the state to the temperance debate, urging prohibition laws to be enacted. His position on temperance was controversial within his own party. Republicans feared losing support to Democrats could cost the party on the national ticket. He had also oppose several work reform laws, and was perceived by many to be anti-labor.<ref name = g200/>

He was nominated by his party to run for governor in 1892 for a full term of his own, and he accepted. Party leaders had attempted to deny him the chance because of his labor and temperance positions by holding the state convention as far as possible from his base of support and during harvest time in hopes that few farmers would attend, but the attempt failed. He delivered speeches at his many campaign stops where he would also preach a sermon later in the day at one of the area churches. His sermons were often firebrand and [[prohibition]]ist. Some of the doctrines he taught caused [[Methodism|Methodist]] and [[Presbyterian]] churches, the two largest churches in the state, to urge their members to vote against him. He was defeated at the polls by Democrat [[Claude Matthews]] who won by plurality, with [[People's Party (United States)|Populist Party]] candidate Leroy Templeton capturing nearly five percent of the vote which would have ordinarily gone to the Republican party.<ref>Gugin. p. 201</ref>

==later life and Death==
Chase returned to private life and continued preaching. He became even more prominent as a minister following his term as governor and began traveling nationally to deliver sermons. He died in 1895 in [[Lubec, Maine]], after delivering a sermon. His remains were returned to be buried in the [[Crown Hill Cemetery]] in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]].<ref>Gugin, p. 202</ref>

==Electoral history==

{{Election box begin no change |title=Indiana gubernatorial election, 1892<ref>Gugin, p. 206</ref>}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| |party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = [[Claude Matthews]]
|votes = 233,881
|percentage = 47.5
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| |party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Ira Joy Chase (incumbent)
|votes = 214,302
|percentage = 46.2
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| |party = Populist Party (United States)
|candidate = Leroy Templeton
|votes = 22,401
|percentage = 3.5
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| |party = Prohibition Party
|candidate = Aaron Wirth
|votes = 12,960
|percentage = 1.1
}}
{{Election box end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Indiana}}
*[[List of governors of Indiana]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist|2}}

'''Bibliography'''
*{{cite book|editor=Gugin, Linda C.|editor2=St. Clair, James E|title=The Governors of Indiana|publisher=Indiana Historical Society Press|location=Indianapolis, Indiana|year=2006|isbn=0871951967|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780871951960}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051103235157/http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/govportraits/chase.html Indiana Historical Bureau: Biography and portrait]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091020194052/http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=8bbc224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD National Governors Association]
*[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7950/ira-joy-chase Ira Chase at FindAGrave]

{{S-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Alvin Peterson Hovey]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[Governor of Indiana]]|years=[[1892 Indiana gubernatorial election|1892]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James A. Mount]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
| title=[[Lieutenant Governor of Indiana]]| before=[[Robert S. Robertson]]| after=[[Mortimer Nye]]| years=1889–1891}}
{{Succession box
|before=[[Alvin Peterson Hovey]]
|title=[[List of Governors of Indiana|Governor of Indiana]]
|years=November 23, 1891{{spaced ndash}}January 9, 1893
|after=[[Claude Matthews]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Governors of Indiana}}
{{IndianaLtGovernors}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Ira Joy}}
[[Category:1834 births]]
[[Category:1895 deaths]]
[[Category:American Presbyterians]]
[[Category:Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery]]
[[Category:Governors of Indiana]]
[[Category:Indiana Republicans]]
[[Category:Republican Party governors of Indiana]]
[[Category:Ministers of the Churches of Christ]]
[[Category:19th-century Indiana politicians]]
[[Category:Grand Army of the Republic officials]]

Ira Joy Chase - Revision history

2603:6010:3300:1E5:F93C:2D7D:E9BA:DE6D at 18:38, 18 May 2025