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Immediately following Arkansas' admission to the Union as a state in June 1836, elections were held for its first state government. As a supporter of Jackson, Conway (like the rest of the Family) identified with the Democratic Party, and owing to his political connections and his prominence as surveyor was able to win the party's nomination for governor. Conway chose not to actively campaign in person, instead writing letters to key political figures and [[Little Rock]] newspapers to explain his positions; nonetheless, the Family's political influence, and the popularity of the Democrats within the state, enabled him to win a decisive victory over his [[Whig]] opponent, Absalom Fowler.
Immediately following Arkansas' admission to the Union as a state in June 1836, elections were held for its first state government. As a supporter of Jackson, Conway (like the rest of the Family) identified with the Democratic Party, and owing to his political connections and his prominence as surveyor was able to win the party's nomination for governor. Conway chose not to actively campaign in person, instead writing letters to key political figures and [[Little Rock]] newspapers to explain his positions; nonetheless, the Family's political influence, and the popularity of the Democrats within the state, enabled him to win a decisive victory over his [[Whig]] opponent, Absalom Fowler.
As governor, Conway's policies strongly emphasized development of the new state's infrastructure. He supported the creation of a public-education system, lobbied for the establishment of a federal arsenal in Little Rock, and called on the legislature to create a supervisory board of road and canal construction and to establish a commission to oversee the sale of public lands, funds from which would go towards the creation of a state university. The legislature refused to do so, however, and Arkansas would not have a university until after the Civil War.
Conway also promoted the establishment of a state banking system, which would guarantee the stability of state government finances and also promote economic development. The legislature was more cooperative in these efforts, with bills being passed for the creation of a State Bank and a Real Estate Bank. Both institutions proved unstable, however, due to mismanagement by the bank operators (some outright embezzling the money entrusted to them), overextension of credit, and the general economic depression brought on by the Panic of 1837. Fallout from the failure of these banks would plague Arkansas for several decades, and Conway was heavily criticized by some for not providing firmer oversight.
Sick for much of his term, and facing a challenge from popular Congressman Archibald Yell, Conway decided not to seek reelection in 1840. He retired to his plantation in Lafayette County, where he once again became active in local affairs and played a key role in the establishment of Lafayette Academy, an institution of higher education, in 1842. He died on March 3, 1855, after a bout with pneumonia, and was buried on his estate.
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