Representative Ratliff Boon

Ratliff Boon (January 18, 1781 – November 20, 1844) was an American politician who briefly served as the second Governor of Indiana and later as a six-term member of the United States House of Representatives. A prominent figure in early Indiana politics, he was instrumental in the formation of the state Democratic Party and became a strong supporter of President Andrew Jackson’s policies while serving in Congress. Over the course of his public career, Boon held a succession of important offices, including multiple terms as lieutenant governor of Indiana under Governors Jonathan Jennings and William Hendricks.

Boon was born on January 18, 1781, in Franklin County, North Carolina, into a period of rapid expansion and political change in the early United States. Little is recorded in standard references about his formal education, but like many frontier leaders of his generation, he was largely self-taught and developed his political skills and public reputation through practical experience, local leadership, and involvement in community affairs. As the nation’s population moved westward, Boon joined the migration, eventually settling in the Indiana Territory, where he became part of the emerging political leadership of the new state.

By the time Indiana achieved statehood in 1816, Boon had established himself as an active participant in territorial and early state politics. He aligned with the Jeffersonian and later Jacksonian democratic currents that were gaining strength in the Old Northwest. His political abilities and growing local prominence led to his election as lieutenant governor of Indiana, serving under the state’s first governor, Jonathan Jennings. In that role, Boon was closely involved in the early administrative and political development of the state, helping to shape its institutions and policies during its formative years.

Boon’s most notable moment in state executive office came when Governor Jonathan Jennings resigned after his election to the United States House of Representatives. As lieutenant governor, Boon succeeded him and briefly served as the second Governor of Indiana, assuming office upon Jennings’s resignation. His tenure as governor was short, but it occurred at a critical time in the young state’s history, as Indiana was consolidating its governmental structures and addressing issues of internal improvement and settlement. After this brief governorship, Boon continued to play a central role in state politics and subsequently served again as lieutenant governor, this time under Governor William Hendricks, further underscoring the confidence Indiana’s political leaders and voters placed in his leadership.

In addition to his executive responsibilities, Boon was a key organizer and leader in the development of the Democratic Party in Indiana. As national politics coalesced around the emerging Democratic and Whig parties, he became one of the principal figures in aligning Indiana with the Democratic cause. He helped build the party’s organizational framework in the state, worked to mobilize voters, and advocated policies consistent with the Jacksonian emphasis on popular democracy, limited federal government, and opposition to concentrated financial power. His efforts contributed significantly to the Democratic Party’s early strength and durability in Indiana.

Boon’s prominence in state politics led to his election to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat representing Indiana. He served six terms in Congress, participating in the legislative process during a significant period in American history marked by debates over federal power, banking, internal improvements, and westward expansion. In the House, he consistently supported President Andrew Jackson’s policies, including the administration’s stance against the Second Bank of the United States and its broader program of Jacksonian democracy. As a member of the Democratic Party representing Indiana, Boon contributed to the national legislative agenda while representing the interests of his frontier constituents, advocating for measures that reflected both local priorities and the broader Democratic platform.

After his years of service in Congress, Boon remained identified with the Democratic cause and with the generation of leaders who had guided Indiana from territorial status to a firmly established state within the Union. His long public career, spanning local, state, and national office, made him one of the more enduring political figures of Indiana’s early history. Ratliff Boon died on November 20, 1844, leaving a legacy as an early state builder, party organizer, and congressional representative whose career reflected the political evolution of both Indiana and the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century.