Isaac Harvey Vincent (1830/1842 – March 12, 1898) was an American politician who served as the 13th Treasurer of Alabama.
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 Brazos Department, Coahuila y Tejas, Mexico or 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 |
| Nickname | Honest Ike |
Early life
editIsaac Harvey Vincent was born in what is now Matagorda County, 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
editVincent 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] He was known by the nickname "Honest Ike".[11]
Theft and later life
editIn January 1883, Vincent's clerk told him that a surprise audit was planned for the treasury.[11] On January 29, Vincent emptied his office safe and fled[1][12] and a $5,000 (equivalent to $163,500 in 2023) reward was offered for his arrest.[13] A committee investigating the treasury's management stated that there was an unexplained deficit of $217,687 in accounts (equivalent to $7,118,365 in 2023).[14] Over $40,000 alone was missing from the county school system fund for each year of Vincent's tenure.[11] 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, that he was suffering from a lung disease for the past two years and that he had planned to seek treatment in New York.[15][16][17]
Vincent was extradited to Alabama on March 16, where he was indicted on 39 charges of embezzlement. He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison on three counts while the remaining charges were nolle prosequi.[18][12] For punishment, he performed hard labor at the state coal mines in Pratt.[19] Only a small amount of the stolen money was ultimately recovered. The office of the examiner of public accounts was created on February 16, 1885, in response to Vincent's crimes.[11][20]
In 1889, having completed less than two years of his sentence, Vincent petitioned the state legislature to put a pardon for him onto the ballot as a referendum.[21] He was pardoned by Governor Thomas G. Jones on May 23, 1893,[22] after a petition was signed by 25,000 people and 108 legislators.[23] Vincent later became a life insurance agent and edited the Monthly Union, a newspaper affiliated with the People's Party.[24][25] Vincent died in Palo Pinto, Texas, on March 12, 1898, and was buried in LaFayette, Alabama.[26][27]
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 c d "Alabama treasurer 'Honest Ike' stole $200,000 and fled the state in 1883". AL.com. August 7, 2019. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "This Date In Alabama History". The Birmingham News. February 16, 1943. p. 11. Archived from the original on September 19, 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.