James Sevier Conway

James Sevier Conway was born on December 4, 1796, in Greene County, Tennessee, to Thomas and Ann ( Rector) Conway. Conway's father was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in 1771. His paternal ancestors originated in Conwy, Wales. Among Conway’s siblings were politicians Elias N Conway, William B Conway and Henry W Conway. One of his cousins was Henry M Rector, the sixth governor of Arkansas. Thomas employed private tutors to teach his seven sons and three daughters. In 1818, the family moved to St. Louis, where Conway learned the art of land surveying from his uncle William Rector, surveyor-general in Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. where he purchased a tract of land in Hempstead (present-day Lafayette) County. While living there, Conway met Mary Jane Bradley, who had migrated with her family from Wilson County, Tennessee. They were married December 21, 1825, and had ten children, five of whom died in infancy or early childhood. == Political career ==

In 1832, Conway became the surveyor-general in Arkansas Territory and served in that position until 1836. He was the elected to the new office of governor when Arkansas became a state in 1836. His administration focused on developing schools and roads. He ordered the militia to patrol the western frontier and worked to have the federal arsenal built at Little Rock. He worked to get funding for a state penitentiary. He pressed the General Assembly for establishment of a state library and university but was unsuccessful. == Death and legacy ==

Conway died from the complications of pneumonia on March 3, 1855. His remains were interred in the Conway Cemetery (present-day Conway Cemetery State Park), near Bradley, Arkansas. He helped establish Lafayette Academy in Lafayette County, Arkansas. == See also == • Conway-Johnson family == References ==