Elisha Baxter (1827-1899), the 10th Governor of Arkansas, was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He came to Batesville in 1852, opened a mercantile business, and was elected mayor in 1853. Baxter served two terms as state representative from 1854-1856 and 1858-1860, and was admitted to the bar in 1856. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he refused to fight, fled to Missouri, was later captured and tried for treason, escaped, and in 1863 accepted command of the Unionist 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry. He later served on the bench of the Third Circuit Court from 1868-1873. In 1872, he ran against Joseph Brooks in a contentious race for governor, was declared the winner, and was sworn into office on January 6, 1873. Brooks and armed supporters physically ousted Baxter from the State House on April 15, 1874, resulting in the Brooks-Baxter War. A month later, Baxter was restored to power and served until November 12, 1874 as the last Republican governor during Arkansas's Reconstruction. He declined to run again and returned to Batesville, where he lived on his farm and practiced law. He and his wife, Harriet Patton Baxter, had six children. Baxter County, Arkansas, is named for him.