Governor Abram Adams Hammond

ABRAM A. HAMMOND, Indiana’s twelfth governor, was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, on March 21, 1814. When Hammond was six years old, his family moved to Brookville, Indiana, where he was educated in the common schools. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1835, and established a legal career in several states, including Indiana, Ohio, and California. Hammond entered public service in 1849, serving on the bench of Marion County Common Pleas Court. He also served as Indiana’s lieutenant governor from 1857 to 1860. On October 3, 1860, Governor Ashbel Willard passed away, and Hammond, who was lieutenant governor at the time, assumed the duties of the governorship. During his short tenure, he advocated for a bill that would safeguard the ballot box during elections, and he endorsed the building of a refuge home for juvenile offenders, which was achieved several years later. After serving approximately three months, Hammond left office in January 1861. Due to poor health, Hammond retired from politics and moved to Denver, Colorado. Governor Abram A. Hammond died in Denver, on August 27, 1874, and was buried at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.