William Frederick Milton Arny facts for kids
William Frederick Milton Arny (born May 9, 1813 – died September 18, 1881) was an important person in American history. He worked for the United States government as an Indian agent, helping with relations between the government and Native American tribes. He also served as the Secretary of the New Mexico Territory from 1862 to 1867.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
William F. M. Arny was born on May 9, 1813, in Georgetown, Maryland. His father, Joseph Arny, was a candy maker from Switzerland. His mother, Elizabeth Hyde, was from England.
William went to public schools. Later, he worked at Bethany College in Bethany, Virginia. He was the secretary of the college for several years. The famous preacher, Alexander Campbell, was the president of the college at that time. In 1850, Arny moved to McLean County, Illinois.
Fighting Against Slavery
Arny became involved in the movement to end slavery. He also joined the new Illinois Republican Party in Illinois. He became friends with Abraham Lincoln. In 1856, Arny asked Lincoln to join the National Kansas Committee, a group working against slavery, but Lincoln decided not to.
Helping Kansas
Arny played a big part in helping Kansas during a difficult time called "Bleeding Kansas." This was when there was a lot of fighting over whether Kansas would allow slavery or not. He helped set up a town in Kansas called Hyatt, which is now known as Garnett. In 1857, he moved from Illinois to Kansas and settled in Hyatt. There, he was chosen as both the mayor and a county judge.
He worked as a main helper for the National Kansas Committee. His job was to give aid, like food and money, that was collected in the East to people in southern Kansas who wanted Kansas to be a free state (without slavery). He and another person, Samuel C. Pomeroy, gave out over 8 million pounds of supplies and $85,000 in cash. Arny also helped write the Leavenworth Constitution for Kansas and was a member of the Kansas government in 1858.
Working in New Mexico
Arny moved to New Mexico after he was chosen to be a United States Indian agent. He worked with the Utes and Jicarilla tribes in northern New Mexico. He took over this role from Kit Carson. The government officially approved his appointment on July 16, 1861.
In December 1861, Arny traveled to Washington, D.C.. He wanted to share his ideas with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is a government office that deals with Native American issues. He even visited the White House wearing frontier clothes and carrying a bow and arrows. He gave President Lincoln a special blanket made by a Navajo woman.
In July 1862, President Lincoln made him the Secretary of the New Mexico Territory. He moved to Santa Fe and worked in this job for five years. When Governor Henry Connelly died in July 1866, Arny became the acting governor for about six months until a new governor arrived.
After his time as Secretary ended in 1867, he was again appointed as an Indian agent for the Utes and Jicarilla tribes in the New Mexico Territory.
In 1873, Arny became an Indian agent for the Navajos. He worked in this role for several years. He had disagreements with traders who sold goods on the Navajo reservations. In July 1875, he decided to leave his job.
Later Years
In 1876, Arny represented New Mexico at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. This was a big fair celebrating 100 years since the United States was founded.
William F. M. Arny died on September 18, 1881, in Topeka, Kansas. He had lived there for the last five years of his life. People collected money to move his body to Santa Fe, where a funeral service was held.
