Henry Rector
6th governor of Arkansas
title: "Henry Rector" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1816-births", "1899-deaths", "19th-century-american-lawyers", "1852-united-states-presidential-electors", "methodists-from-arkansas", "american-people-of-english-descent", "american-surveyors", "arkansas-lawyers", "democratic-party-arkansas-state-senators", "justices-of-the-arkansas-supreme-court", "law-enforcement-officials-from-arkansas", "burials-at-mount-holly-cemetery", "confederate-states-of-america-state-governors", "conway–johnson-family", "democratic-party-governors-of-arkansas", "farmers-from-arkansas", "democratic-party-members-of-the-arkansas-house-of-representatives", "politicians-from-louisville,-kentucky", "lawyers-from-louisville,-kentucky", "people-of-arkansas-in-the-american-civil-war", "politicians-from-hot-spring-county,-arkansas", "politicians-from-little-rock,-arkansas", "politicians-from-saline-county,-arkansas", "people-pardoned-by-andrew-johnson", "u.s.-state-supreme-court-judges-admitted-to-the-practice-of-law-by-reading-law", "united-states-marshals", "19th-century-members-of-the-arkansas-general-assembly"] description: "6th governor of Arkansas" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Rector" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 6th governor of Arkansas ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Henry Massie Rector |
| image | Henry Massey Rector.jpg |
| order | 6th |
| office | Governor of Arkansas |
| term_start | November 15, 1860 |
| term_end | November 4, 1862 |
| predecessor | Elias Conway |
| successor | Thomas Fletcher (acting) |
| office1 | Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court |
| term_start1 | February 5, 1859 |
| term_end1 | May 1860 |
| predecessor1 | Christopher C. Scott |
| successor1 | Hulbert F. Fairchild |
| office2 | Member of the |
| Arkansas House of Representatives | |
| from Pulaski County | |
| alongside2 | Joseph Stillwell |
| term_start2 | November 6, 1854 |
| term_end2 | November 3, 1856 |
| predecessor2 | William E. Ashley |
| Benjamin F. Danley | |
| successor2 | Lorenzo Gibson |
| Samuel W. Williams | |
| office3 | Member of the Arkansas Senate |
| from Saline and Perry counties | |
| term_start3 | November 4, 1848 |
| term_end3 | November 1, 1852 |
| predecessor3 | New constituency |
| successor3 | Constituency abolished |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| resting_place | Mount Holly Cemetery, |
| Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | |
| resting_place_coordinates | |
| party | Democratic |
| spouse | {{plainlist |
| * {{marriage | Jane Elizabeth Field |
| children | Elias W. Rector (son) |
| James Rector (grandson) | |
| allegiance | Confederate States |
| branch | Arkansas Militia |
| branch_label | Service |
| rank | Private |
| serviceyears | 1862–1865 |
| battles | American Civil War |
| battles_label | Wars |
| :: |
| name = Henry Massie Rector | image = Henry Massey Rector.jpg | order = 6th | office = Governor of Arkansas | term_start = November 15, 1860 | term_end = November 4, 1862 | predecessor = Elias Conway | successor = Thomas Fletcher (acting) | office1 = Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court | term_start1 = February 5, 1859 | term_end1 = May 1860 | predecessor1 = Christopher C. Scott | successor1 = Hulbert F. Fairchild | office2 = Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Pulaski County | alongside2 = Joseph Stillwell | term_start2 = November 6, 1854 | term_end2 = November 3, 1856 | predecessor2 = William E. Ashley Benjamin F. Danley | successor2 = Lorenzo Gibson Samuel W. Williams | office3 = Member of the Arkansas Senate from Saline and Perry counties | term_start3 = November 4, 1848 | term_end3 = November 1, 1852 | predecessor3 = New constituency | successor3 = Constituency abolished | birth_date = | birth_place = Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | resting_place = Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | resting_place_coordinates = | party = Democratic | spouse = {{plainlist|
| children = Elias W. Rector (son) James Rector (grandson) | allegiance = Confederate States | branch = Arkansas Militia | branch_label = Service | rank = Private | serviceyears = 1862–1865 | battles = American Civil War | battles_label = Wars
Henry Massie Rector (May 1, 1816August 12, 1899) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the sixth governor of Arkansas from 1860 to 1862.
Early life and education
Henry Massie Rector was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Fannie Bardella (Thruston) and Elias Rector. His Rector family descended from the German-speaking families of Germanna in the Colony of Virginia, though both parents were also of English descent. He was educated by his mother and attended two years of school in Louisville. He moved to Arkansas in 1835, where he was later appointed U.S. Marshal.
Political career
Rector was elected to the Arkansas Senate and served in that body from 1848 to 1850. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1854. From 1853 to 1857, he served as U.S. Surveyor-General of Arkansas for several years. From 1855 to 1859, he served in the Arkansas House of Representatives and spent one term as a justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Governor of Arkansas
Main article: 1860 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Rector was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1860. During his term Arkansas seceded from the U.S. and was admitted into the Confederate States. The constitution of Arkansas was rewritten reducing the term of office for Governor to two years. At the Arkansas secession convention in March 1861, Rector addressed the convention in an oratory urging the extension of slavery:
Rector left office in 1862 and served as a private in the state militia for the rest of the war. He participated in the 1874 Arkansas Constitutional Convention.
Personal life
Rector was the first cousin of Representative Henry Conway, Governor James Conway and Governor Elias Conway. Rector was also a third cousin of General James Kemper. He was a first cousin of fellow Confederate general Alexander Steen.
His son, Elias, ran for Governor of Arkansas twice and served in the Arkansas House of Representatives for several terms, served as Speaker of the House, and married the daughter of Senator James Alcorn of Mississippi. His grandson, James, was the first Arkansan to participate in the Olympic Games.
Death
Rector died in Little Rock and is buried in Mount Holly Cemetery there.
Memorials
Rector Street in Little Rock is named after him. The north-bound frontage road along Interstate 30 bears his name. The northeast Arkansas town of Rector is also named after him.
References
References
- (January 1998). "Arkansas Biographical Dictionary". Somerset Publishers.
- Biographical and pictorial history of Arkansas, Volume 1 By John Hallum page 405
- "Henry Massie Rector (1816–1899)". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture.
- "Arkansas Governor Henry Massey Rector". National Governors Association.
- (1861). "Arkansas Secession Convention".
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