Dennis Pennington

Dennis Pennington (May 18, 1776–December 2, 1854) was an early legislator in Indiana and the Indiana Territory, speaker of the first Indiana State Senate, speaker of the territorial legislature, a member of the Whig Party serving over 37 years in public office, and one of the founders of Indiana. He was also a stonemason and member of the Grand Lodge of Indiana. His major political contributions were his strong opposition of slavery and his support of squatter's rights, and he was responsible for the construction of Indiana's first state capitol building.