977.3 W887i Woolsey, M.B. Illinois and Lincoln LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY MEMORIAL the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER JUmflte attfc Hmrnltt ,-t- View of State Capitol Grounds — Centennial Memorial Building: in Background JUtttnta mb ICtnrnht Historical Sketches and Pictures of Illinois Capitols Public Buildings Lincoln in Springfield Governors of Illinois PREPARED BY M. B. WOOLSEY Ju^/vc^-^ Abraham Lincoln, Photograph of an original painting from life by George F. Wright shortly after Mr. Lincoln was notified of his nomination for President of the United States by the Republican Party in 1860. [3] Lincoln Homestead, Eighth and Jackson Streets, Springfield, 111. [4] Lincoln Homestead, The Lincoln home is situated on the northeast corner of Eighth and Jackson Streets, Springfield, and so far as known is the only piece of real property ever owned by Mr. Lincoln. With its antique furniture and relics, many of them just as Lincoln left them, it is Springfield's most historic dwelling and is visited annually by over twenty thousand people. It was built in 1839 and was purchased in 1844 by Mr. Lincoln The frame and floors are of oak, the laths are of hickory split by hand; the doors, door frames, window frames and weather-boarding are of American Walnut. Originally the building was only one and one-half stories high. It is said that Mrs. Lincoln wanted the rooms on the second floor full height and, after discussing the plans with Mr. Lincoln for some time, took the matter in her own hands and during his absence carried the plan to completion. [3] The Edwards Home [6] The Edwards Home. Of the many homes in Springfield which were the scenes of social gaiety during the time when Lincoln made his home in Springfield, there was one, a red brick, standing where now stands the Centennial Building, which in importance in a historical way was second only to the Lincoln Home. Here Lincoln met, courted and on November 4, 1842, married Miss Mary Todd, a belle of Kentucky who was visiting her sister, Mrs. Edwards. After the death of her immortal husband, Mrs. Lincoln made this her home until her death, July 16, 1882. [71 The Room in Which Lincoln Was Married [8] Where Lincoln Was Married, The room in the Edwards Home where Lincoln received Miss Mary Todd as his bride was the large first floor parlor in the front and toward the north. The couple are said to have met in front of the fire-place, where Rev. Charles Dresser performed the wedding ceremony. [0] [10] The Lincoln Tomb. The Lincoln Tomb, an imposing edifice which rises from a picturesque eminence in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Spring- field, is the Mecca annually of thousands of visitors from all parts of the civilized world. On May 11, 1865, the "Lincoln Monument Association" was formed and Springfield, Illinois, having been Lincoln's home, was selected as the location for the monument or tomb. The money was raised by state appropriations and private subscriptions. Illinois gave $77,000, New York $10,000, Missouri $1,000, Nevada $500, Soldiers and Sailors $27,000, and sixty thousand Sunday School children contributed $22,000. Private subscriptions were made by the friends of the assassinated President, making a total of $200,000. Ground was broken on September 10, 1869, and construction went on from that time until October 15, 1874, when the monument was formally dedicated. President Grant was present and delivered a short eulogy on Lincoln at the tomb. Governor Oglesby was the orator of the day. An American sculptor, Larkin G. Meade, designed the structure. Quincy granite was used as the exterior, brick being used as reinforcement. The base is seventy-two and one-half feet square and fifteen feet ten inches high. On this is built the obelisk, rising one hundred and twenty-eight feet in the air. At the angles of the obelisk are four pedestals twelve and a half feet high, which support imposing groups of statuary representing the four branches of the national service, Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Navy. A square pedestal seven feet high stands at the south side of the obelisk and supports a statue of Lincoln which looks down upon all who enter Memorial Hall. On the north side of the base is a projection, semi-circular in form, which forms the vestibule of the crypts in which are contained the bodies of Mrs. Lincoln and their sons. A similar projection on the south side is used as Memorial Hall. The vestibule on the north contains the sarcophagus in which Lincoln's body lay from 1874 until September 26, 1901, when the Emancipator's remains were placed in a cemented vault directly underneath the marble casket in which they formerly reposed. On May 18, 1895, the Illinois General Assembly, by special Act, accepted the transfer from the "Lincoln Monu- ment Association" to the State of Illinois. When the monument began to show signs of decay in 1899, Governor John R. Tanner recommended that an appropriation be made to repair and preserve the structure. The Forty : first General Assembly appropriated $100,000, and the task of rebuilding was begun November 11, 1899. The bodies of Lincoln and his family were removed, temporarily, to vaults constructed to receive them during reconstruction. On June 1, 1901, the work of rebuilding was completed and the bodies were placed in their last resting place. The body of Mr. Lincoln was placed in a concrete vault thirteen feet below the floor of the crypt in which lie the remains of the rest of his family. [11] [12] [13] w~-%* '■-Jmtf _iH [14] [15] Memorial Hall at the Tomb [16] JUtttotB (Hapttflla [17] House Owned by George Fisher, Kaskaskia [13] Illinois' First State Capital. When Illinois was admitted into the Union as a state in 1818, Kaskaskia was the territorial capital. The two sessions of the first General Assembly evidently were held in three rooms in a house owned by George Fisher, as the journal of the second session on March 29, 1819, shows that there were appropriated to George Fisher for the use of three rooms of his house during "the present and preceding sessions," $4.00 per day, also for the use of one room during the sitting of the Constitutional Convention, $2.00 per day. The house — a picture of which appears on the opposite page — was two stories high, built of brick, said to have been the first brick house in the state. The brick were made at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and transported down the Ohio and up the Mississippi to Kaskaskia. [19] Illinois' Second Capitol, Yaiulalia [20J Illinois 9 First Capitol Building, On October 12, 1818, the General Assembly petitioned Congress to donate from one to four sections of land on the banks of the Kaskaskia River for a Capitol site, and on March 30th, the following year, five commissioners were appointed to select the site. The commissioners located the Capitol at what was then known as "Reeve's Bluff" on the Kaskaskia River, about eighty miles above the town of Kaskaskia, and named the place Vandalia. The construction of a Capitol having been authorized, work began at once, and on December 4, 1820, the first session of the second General Assembly was con- vened, in the first state-owned Capitol. Writers have described it as "a plain two-story wooden building." On the first floor was the hall and stairway, and one room used by the House of Representatives, the two rooms on the second floor were used by the Senate and the Council of Revision. This building on December 9, 1823, caught fire and was destroyed. Second Capitol Building. The second Capitol was built the following year at a cost of $15,000. It was a large, roomy structure, two stories in height, housing the state offices as well as the General Assembly until 1836. [21] Illinois' Third Capitol, Vandalia [22] The Third Capitol. In 1833 there took definite shape a sentiment favoring the removal of the capital from Vandalia. On February 5th of that year the General Assembly passed an Act providing for the taking of a vote on the question. Six sites were voted on with the following result: The geographical center of the State 790 votes, Jacksonville 273, Springfield 7,075, Peoria 423, Alton 8,157 and Vandalia 7,730. For some reason the returns were never officially canvassed nor the result announced. Vandalia citizens fearful that they would lose the capital and seeking to meet the arguments that a new Capitol was needed, decided to take advantage of the failure to declare the official result of the election and build a new Capitol, and so during the recess of the General Assembly in the summer of 1836 they tore down the old Capitol which had been built in 1824 and built upon their own responsibility, a new (the third) Capitol at a cost of $16,000. If the citizens of Vandalia sought to settle the removal issue, by presenting the state with a new state house, they were doomed to disappointment, for the General Assembly, on February 28, 1837, met in joint session and on the fourth ballot selected Springfield as the permanent capital. The last session of the General Assembly to meet in Vandalia was convened on December 3, 1838, and on the 16th of February the following spring passed an Act conveying the practically new Capitol to Fayette County and Vandalia, with the stipulation that the west half should beused as a court house and the east half for school purposes. The building was so used until 1857. In 1858-9 Fayette County expended $50,000 in remodeling the structure. The interior was re-arranged, large porticos were added to the north and south, supported by massive brick pillars. [23] Illinois' Fourth Capitol, Springfield [24] The Fourth Capitol, On March 3, 1837, the General Assembly supplemented the Act of February 28th of that year, providing for the removal of the Capital to Springfield with an Act which authorized the Sangamon County Commissioners to convey to the state the site known as the Public Square in Springfield. The site contained two and one-half acres. At the same time a Board of State House Commissioners was named to supervise the building of a new Capitol. Fifty thousand dollars was appropriated and to this amount the citizens of Sangamon County and Springfield added a like amount. With this combination fund, the construction of the new Capitol was started. Three hundred dollars was offered as a premium for the best plans for the new state house; of this J. F. Rague of Springfield received $200, and Mr. Single- ton of St. Louis received $100. Mr. Rague was retained as supervising architect at a salary of $1,000 per year. The cornerstone was laid on the fourth of July the same year. The stone for the building was quarried eight or nine miles from Springfield along Sugar Creek and hauled on wagons pulled by ten or twelve yoke of oxen. When completed, the building was said to be one of the finest examples of Grecian architecture in this country. The General Assembly met in the new building in December, 1840. The building, however, was not finished until 1853, about sixteen years after the cornerstone was laid. The Capitol was two stories high with a north and south entrance. In the center was the stairway to the second floor. On the first floor on the west side of the lobby were the offices of the Auditor, the Secretary of State, and the [25] [26] State Library; to the east of the lobby were the Treasurer, the Supreme Court Chamber and the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court and the Law Library. On the second floor, the entire west side was used by the House of Repre- sentatives. The Senate Chamber occupied about one-half of the east side. The Governor's office was across the hall from the Senate Chamber. Here Abraham Lincoln served as a member of the General Assembly and tried cases before the Supreme Court. It was in the House of Representatives on the evening of June 16, 1858, that he made his famous "house divided against itself" speech, in which he said, shortly after the commencement of his address, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the house to fall, but I do expect that it will cease to be divided." Here on May 4, 1865, the remains of the assassinated President lay in state immediately in front of the Speaker's rostrum. Press accounts of the time state that twenty-five thousand people passed in line to view them that day. This building was occupied by the county officials in the same condition as when used as a State Capitol until it was remodeled in 1899-1901. The building was raised off its foundation and a new first story was built, making it three stories in height instead of two. Two entrances, a new roof and a dome were added at a cost of approximately $170,000. [271 Zfflammmm Present Capitol 1800 T2S] The Present Capitol. On February 25, 1867, the General Assembly passed an Act authorizing the building of a new State House. The Act also authorized the Governor to convey to Sangamon County and the City of Springfield the old Capitol building and grounds. This building is now the Sangamon County Court House and stands in the center of the Public Square of Springfield. In return the State received $200,000 and the site for the new Capitol. The Act limited the cost of the new building to $3,000,000. This amount later was found inadequate. The constitution of 1870 placed a limit of an extra half million dollars to be added to the original sum. The people in 1884 voted to appropriate an additional amount to complete the building, so that when it was completely finished in 1885 the cost was about $4,500,000. A prize of $3,000 was offered for the best design and was won by John C. Cochrane of Chicago. Ground was broken for the new building March 11, 1868. The corner-stone was laid October 5th of the same year. The accepted plan was in the form of a Latin Cross, 379 feet north and south by 268 feet east and west, surmounted with a dome 364 feet high, resting on a foundation ninety-two and one-half feet in diameter, the walls of which are twenty-five feet below grade line and seventeen feet thick from grade to floor of the first story. The foundat'ons for the outer walls are from eleven to sixteen feet in thickness below grade line and nine feet thick to the floor of the first story. The tip of the flag-staff is 405 feet from the grade line. The height of the dome exclusive of the flag-staff is seventy-four feet higher than the dome of the National Capitol at Washington. The foundation is of granular magnesian limestone from the Scnora quarries of Hancock County. Niagara lime- stone is used in the outerwalls above the grade line. The eastern and northern porticos contain huge pillars of polished Fox Island granite with Corinthian capitals that support Corinthian gables. Around the base of the dome, the walls of which recede in graduated stories or set-backs, provision is made for the transition from the square to the circular shape, by an arrangement on each of the four sides, of eight columns that support a balcony almost two hundred feet above the ground; while just above and completely encircling the dome are twenty round arched windows in alternating groups of two and three openings, the groups separated by columns. Within the building, marbles are extensively used and after almost fifty years of service are practically unim- paired. In the floors and in the wainscoting and panelling are seen vari-colored domestic and imported marbles, including [29] US it a '2 a w s, O [30] Verde Antique, Glen Falls, Tennessee, Concord, Vermont, Carthage Imperial Gray, Georgia Pink, Libson, White Italian, Alps Green and other varieties. The field of the floors are gray marble. There are embellishments of reddish marble and a border of purple and sage green. The rotunda from the second floor is formed of a succession of marble, granite and bronze to a height where a huge frieze forty feet high completely encircles the dome. Above is a succession of highly decorated mouldings that extend upward some twenty feet, above which, in turn are twenty-four columns sixty feet high and four feet in diameter apparently of Siena marble. In reality they are synthetic with capitals and vases in imitation of antique bronze. The upper dome is decorated and panelled with relief ornaments all of which are treated in atmospheric colors to give distance to a structure already reaching to a height of over two hundred feet. Blue and gold are predominating colors. There is a circle in the very top of the dome about fourteen feet in diameter finished with stained glass on which the principal design of ornamentation is the coat-of-arms of the State of Illinois. The main feature of the first floor is the grand stairway in the west corridor, composed solidly of marble with a framework of iron. At the stair head is a large painting twenty by forty feet, representing George Rogers Clark and his great treaty with the Indians at Kaskaskia. The corridors of the second floor with three foot high wainscoting and marble fl( or have a series of marble shafts supporting the ceiling. The other wings are decorated in French Renaissance fresco design in keeping with the rest of the building. The murals throughout are plentiful. They depict mythological characters, as well as noted scenes, events and personages of Illinois history. On the first floor are the offices of the different departments. The Governor, the Secretary of State, the Treasurer and the Auditor of Public Accounts are located on the second floor. The General Assembly occupies the third floor, the Senate Chamber being in the north and the House of Representatives in the south wing. The west wing is used as a reception room for the members of the General Assembly and is elaborately furnished with leather upholstered chairs and lounges. The ceiling and walls are decorated in keeping with the rest of the building. The fourth and fifth floors are used by various bureaus and departments. [31] The Senate Chamber [32] House of Representatives [33] Marble Stairway to Second Floor [34] Marble .Stairway to Third Floor [35] Executive Mansion [36] Executive Mansion. This comfortable and homelike residence of Illinois governors was built in 1865 of brick and stone. On the first floor is the state dining room, library, receiving and living rooms. A handsome staircase leads from the large hall to the living rooms on the second floor. The mansion stands on a knoll facing the north and is approached by drives leading into the grounds from Fifth Street on the east and Fourth Street on the west. The grounds comprising several acres constitute one of the most beautiful and stately residence sites in Springfield. Artistic flower plots, shrubbery and the natural grouping of trees emphasize its beauty. Since Governor Bissell and his family took up their abode in the mansion in 1857 the historic home has received presidents of the United States, envoys from foreign countries and political and social personages of prominence from every corner of the world. [37] The New Centennial Memorial Building: [38] The Centennial Building. The Centennial Building was built as a memorial to the one hundred years of statehood of the State of Illinois. The building stands south and east of the Capitol; beautiful in design, stately and imposing in appearance. It graces and lends dignity to the Capitol group. The original plan was a building to be devoted entirely to education. On the first floor Memorial Hall, magnificent in its appointments, greets the visitor as he first enters. Glass cases are placed on each side of the room containing the battle flags of the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and the World War, under which Illinois' sons fought for their country. Here is located a very valuable collection of war relics. On the third floor are located the State Library, the Historical Library and Lincoln's Memorial room, in which are many rare and valuable relics connected with the life of the great Emancipator. The Superintendent of Public In- struction occupies the rooms at the east end of the building, also the fourth floor. On the fifth floor is located the State Museum of Natural History. The Fiftieth General Assembly in 1917 passed an Act with an appropriation for the new building which it was estimated would cost about $800,000. The World War came on and mounting costs and elaboration of plans increased the cost so that when it was completed in 1923 about two million dollars had been expended. The corner-stone was laid October 5, 1918, the one hundredth anniversary of the meeting of the first General Assembly of the State of Illinois and the fiftieth anniversary of the laying of the corner-stone of the present Capitol. [391 Illinois Supreme Court Building [40] Illinois Supreme Court Building, The Illinois Supreme Court Building sometimes called the "Palace of Justice," is an artistic structure rich in beauty of an impressive sort, built of stone, and conveys something; of the sense of austerity and quiet force one asso- ciates with the stern pronouncement of the law's finalities. It stands east of the Capitol on a terraced area and houses the legal department of the State. On the first floor are the offices of the Attorney General and the officials of the Courts; on the second floor is the Supreme Court Chamber, beautifully finished in marble and Circassian walnut. The Appellate Court Chamber is finished in mahogany. The Law Library is finished in silver oak. Conference rooms adjoin both Court Chambers. On the third floor are the living rooms of the Justices of the Supreme Court. [U] . - v •-" 7t '*" i V«^3 t *"I State Arsenal, Springfield [42] The Illinois State Arsenal, The Illinois State Arsenal, north and east of the Capitol, three hundred feet long and over one hundred feet wide, covering nearly a half block, suggests an old time fortress. The style of architecture is of the middle ages. The long walls are broken with circular and square projections and finished with battlements and embrasures. The walls are rock faced limestone. In the interior a large assembly hall two hundred and twenty feet long and one hundred and thirty-six feet wide with a gallery on three sides first attracts the eye as one enters the building. The seating capacity is ten thousand. Many political conventions have been held here as well as social fetes and other public meetings. In the front are the offices and on the west side is a two hundred feet rifle range. On the second floor, the company rooms, officers' quarters, etc., are located. On May 11, 1901, the General Assembly appropriated $150,000 for its construction. The site, valued at $42,000, was donated by the city of Springfield and on June 4, 1903, President Roosevelt made a special trip to Springfield to dedicate the new arsenal. [43] Illinois' First Arsenal, Erected in 1855 [44] $0ti?rttflr0 flf JUittntB [4.-,] ^Wuu^ (^^7'^ [4CJ Shadrach Bond, Governor of Illinois, 1818-1822. Pierre Menard, Lieutenant Governor. Shadrach Bond, the first Governor of Illinois, was born at Fredericktown, Frederick County, Maryland, Novembei 24, 1773. He came to Illinois in 1704 and for a time resided with his uncle, Shadrach Bond, Sr., a veteran of the Revolutionary War, in what is now Monroe County, but was then a part of St. Clair County. Later he engaged in farming at New Design. On November 27, 1810, he was married at Nashville, Tennessee, to Miss Achsah Bond, a distant relative. In May, 1805, Mr. Bond was elected to fill a vacancy in the Indiana territorial assembly. Illinois was then embraced in Indiana territory, but the two states were separated in 1809, and Mr. Bond took an active part in this legislation. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, he enlisted as a private and by gallant service, rose to the rank of colonel. The same year, he was elected to Congress as the first territorial delegate from Illinois, and he left the army to enter Con- gress, serving in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses, from December 3, 1812, to October 3, 1814. He was appointed receiver of public money for the territory of Illinois in 1814 and removed to Kaskaskia to take charge of this office. When Illinois was admitted to the Federal Union as a State, Shadrach Bond was elected its first Governor. He was inaugurated at Kaskaskia, October 6, 1818. Governor Bond died at his residence near Kaskaskia, April 12, 1832. He is buried at Chester, Illinois, where the State has erected a modest monument. [47] LflU^^ £r&? [4S] Edward Coles, 1822-1826. Adolphus F. Hubbard, Lieutenant Governor. Edward Coles was born December 15, 1786, in Albemarle County, Virginia. He was educated at Hampton Sidney College and William and Mary College. He was the private secretary of President James Madison, from 1810 to 1816, who in 1816 sent him to Russia as a special messenger on an important diplomatic mission. In 1815, Mr. Coles made a visit to Illinois, and another in 1818. He left his Virginia home April 1, 1819, having been appointed Register of the Land Office at Edwardsville, Illinois. He brought with him a number of slaves whom he had inherited, and came to Edwardsville, Madison County. When on the way to Illinois he set his slaves free when he reached free territory. This act caused him endless embarrassment and annoyance during his subsequent life in Illinois. In this important office he made many acquaintances, and friends. He was elected Governor of the State in 1822. During his term of office occurred the great struggle to amend the Constitution of the State of Illinois and make it a slave State. This was one of the most momentous contests in the history of the State. The election to decide the question as to whether or not a convention should be held for the purpose of amending the Constitution in order to legalize slavery in Illinois was held August 6, 1824. The vote was against the holding of the convention, and to Governor Coles is due in a large measure the success of the Anti-Slavery party, and the credit for keeping Illinois a free State. During the term of office of Governor Coles a State House was built at Vandalia, the new Capital. Governor Coles wrote a history of the Ordinance of 1787, which was published during his term of office. In 1833 he removed to Philadelphia. On November 28, 1833, he married Miss Sally Logan Roberts of Phila- delphia. He died in that city July 7, 1868. [491 C^C^t^G^J^ [50] Ninian Edwards, 1826-1830. William Kinney, Lieutenant Governor. Ninian Edwards, Territorial Governor, 1809-1818, was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, March 17, 1775. He was educated by private tutors and at Dickinson College at Carlysle, Pennsylvania. He was sent by his father in 1794 to purchase and improve lands in the new state of Kentucky. In the years 1796-98, he represented Nelson County in the Kentucky legislature; licensed to practice law in 1798; in 1802, appointed Major in the Kentucky Militia; 1803, Circuit Court Judge. In 1804 he was elected Judge of the Court of Appeals. In 1808 elected Chief Justice of Kentucky. It was while serving in the last named office that he was appointed by President Madison, Governor of the New Territory of Illinois, April 24, 1809, and held the office until the admission of the State in 1818. When the first General Assembly of the State of Illinois convened at Kaskaskia, Governor Edwards was elected to the United States Senate for the short term of two years. Two years later he was elected for the full term of six years. He resigned his seat in the United States Senate in 1824, to accept an appointment by President Monroe as United States Minister to Mexico. In 1826 he was elected Governor of the State of Illinois. His method of campaigning differed from that of the usual pioneer candidate. He traveled over the State attended by his colored servant, and the people whom it was supposed would be driven away by his aristocratic appearance were really attracted to him and deemed it an honor to support "such an elegant gentleman." Edwards County, and Edwardsville, the county seat of Madison County, were named in his honor. Governor Edwards died of cholera, at Belleville, July 20, 1833. Governor Edwards was married in 1803, in Kentucky, to Miss Elvira Lane. [51] ^ryu+su <^^L^n^ r /'7l^ 52 j John Reynolds, 1830-1834. Zadoc Casey, Lieutenant Governor. William L. D. Ewing, Lieutenant Governor. John Reynolds was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, February 26, 1788. His parents removed to Tennessee near the present city of Knoxville, and from there to Illinois in 1800. The boy, John, lived with his parents in Southern Illinois, until 1809, and then for two years attended college near Knoxville, Tennessee. During the War of 1812 he, was a member of a company of Rangers that took part in campaigns against the Indians. This service gave him the nick-name of "The Old Ranger." In 1814 he opened a law office at Cahokia. On August 22, 1815, John Reynolds was appointed Judge Advocate of the Second Regiment. He was Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, October 8, 1818, to January 19, 1825, serving as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1822 to 1825. He represented St. Clair County in the Fifth and Sixth General Assemblies, 1826 to 1830. He was Governor of Illinois December 6, 1830, to November 17, 1834. Member of Congress, 1834-1837; also served in Congress 1839-43. He was again elected a Representative from St. Clair County in the General Assembly, serving from 1846 to 1848, served again as Representative from 1852 to '54, and was Speaker of the House of Representatives. He married in 1817, Mrs. Catherine Dubuque Manegle, a daughter of Julian Dubuque. His second marriage occurred in May, 1836, to Miss Sarah Wilson at Georgetown, D. C. Governor Reynolds died at Belleville, Illinois, May 8, 1865. [53] ["•4] tV^ts?t^<2^^ William L. D. Ewing, 1834. William Lee Davidson Ewing (1834, 15 days) was born in Paris, Kentucky, August 31, 1795. Came to Illinois about the time it became a State. He was United States Receiver of Public Money at Vandalia in 1823. Was a general of Militia in the Black Hawk War. He was a member of the General Assembly and Speaker of the House during the term of the Seventh General Assembly, December 6, 1830, to December 3, 1832. William L. D. Ewing has the distinction of holding the office of Governor of Illinois for a shorter time than any other Governor of the State. Mr. Ewing was a member of the Illinois State Senate in 1833 and 1834. Lieutenant Governor Zadoc Casey resigned in 1833 to take a seat in Congress, and Mr. Ewing was elected President of the Senate. When Governor Reynolds resigned on November 17, 1834, by virtue of the office which he then held, Mr. Ewing became the Governor of the State and held the office until the inauguration of Governor Duncan on December 3, 1834. He was elected United States Senator on December 29, 1835, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Elias Kent Kane. Failing of re-election to the Senatorship in 1837, he was returned to the Illinois House of Representatives from his own district in 1838, as he was again in 1840, at each session being chosen Speaker over Abraham Lincoln, who was the Whig candidate. Dropping out of the Legislature at the close of his term, we find him at the beginning of the next session (December, 1842) in his old place as Clerk of the House of Representatives but, before the close of the session, March, 1843, he was appointed Auditor of Public Accounts as successor to James Shields, who had resigned. While serving as Auditor, Mr. Ewing died at Springfield, March 25, 1846. [55] 4&^4^L^ [56] Joseph Duncan, 1834-1838. Alexander M. Jenkins, Lieutenant Governor. Joseph Duncan, Governor of Illinois, 1834-1838, was born at Paris, Kentucky, February 22, 1794. Emigrated to Illinois in 1818, having previously served with distinction in the War of 1812, and been presented with a sword by vote of Congress, for gallant conduct in the defense of Fort Stephenson. He was commissioned Major-General of Illinois Militia in 1823, and elected State Senator from Jackson County in 1824. He served in the lower House of Congress from 1827 to 1834, when he resigned his seat, and was elected Governor of Illinois the same year. He was much interested in the cause of education and was the author of the first free school law of Illinois, adopted in 1825. He was the Whig candidate for Governor in 1842, when he met his first political defeat. The removal of the State Capital to Springfield occurred during his administration and much of the legislation for the famous internal improvement scheme was passed during his term as Governor. Governor Duncan was married in Washington, D. C, on May 13, 1828, to Miss Elizabeth Caldwell Smith of New York City, whose acquaintance he made when both were guests at a dinner given to a few friends by President John Quincy Adams. He died in Jacksonville, Illinois, January 15, 1844. [571 gz^\^C. c e >. s a a [100] ordinance, the Governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry, appointed John Todd, a judge of the court in Kentucky, as County Lieutenant, or Commander-in-Chief of the newly created county. George Rogers Clark, following an investigation made in the summer of 1777, undertook an expedition in 1778 to capture the British forts at Kaskaskia and Vincennes, in order to put an end to the Indian raids on settlements in Kentucky. He was supplied with seven companies of fifty men each by Virginia. The American flag was first unfurled in Illinois at Fort Mas.-ac by this company on its march to Kaskaskia. On the afternoon of July 4, 1778, the party reached the Kaskaskia River, three miles from the town, and waited in the woods until dark, when they attacked Fort Gage and overpowered the garrison without bloodshed. This ended the British occupation of Illinois. Part of Northwest Territory — 1787-1800. — In 1787 Illinois became a part of the Northwest Territory by the famous Ordinance of 1787. This ordinance has been called the great American charter, because it determined the destiny of the states formed from the Northwest Territory and was a powerful factor in settling the questions of slavery and state sovereignty. Arthur St. Clair was elected Governor of the Northwest Territory by Congress on October 5, 1787, and Samuel Holden Parsons, James Mitchell Varnum and John Clever Simmes were appointed judges. In the summer of 1787 the Governor and judges met at Marietta, Ohio, the seat of government, and adopted a code of laws for the territory. County divisions, except in Illinois, were marked out and civil officers appointed. This was the first grade of territorial government under the Ordinance of 1787. In 1790 Governor St. Clair paid his first visit to Kaskaskia and St. Clair County was organized. In 1795 the first session of court w r as held in St. Clair County by Judge Turner. In the same year Randolph County was created. By the Treaty of Greenville part of Illinois was reserved for Indian occupancy. In 1799 the General Assembly for the Northwest Territory was organized and Illinois sent two representatives. Part of Indiana Territory — 1800-1809. — The territory of the northwest was found too large and unwieldy for a single government, and by Act of Congress, approved May 7, 1800, it was divided. All that part of it lying west of a line beginning on the Ohio River opposite the mouth of the Kentucky, running thence north by way of Fort Recovery to the British provinces, was considered a separate territory and called the Territory of Indiana. It included the present States of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, except a small strip on the west side between the [101] ns 3 a a 50 —* a. « » a fa . - a [102] mouths of the Kentucky and the Great Miami. The white population of this immense territory was estimated at 4,875 and there were 135 negro slaves. The aggregate number of Indians in this territory was estimated at 100,000. Vincennes was the seat of government of Indiana Territory and the Ordinance of 1787 still applied, in a modified form. The clause requiring a population of 5,000 free white male inhabitants of the age of 21 years and upwards before a General Assembly could be organized was changed so that a legislature could be established at the will of a majority of the freeholders. The law went into effect on July 4, 1800. During the nine years that Illinois was a part of the Indiana Territory land titles were acquired from resident Indian tribes, the territorial legislature was organized and the right of suffrage was determined. William Henry Harrison was governor of Indiana Territory during this period. Illinois Territory — 1809-1818. — Illinois Territory was established by Act of Congress, approved February 3, 1809. It constituted all that part of Indiana Territory lying "west of the Wabash River and a direct line drawn from said Wabash River and Post Vincennes due north to the territorial line between the United States and Canada." This included the present state of Wisconsin as well as the present State of Illinois. The population of the newly organized territory was estimated at about 9,000. By the Act of Separation the people of Illinois were entitled to all the rights, privileges and advantages granted and secured to the people under the Ordinance of 1787, which was applied to the territory. Provision was made for the organization of the second grade of territorial government whenever the Governor should be satisfied that the majority of free-holders of the territory desired it, notwithstanding there might be less than 5,000 inhabitants. At a legislative council the delegates to Congress were made elective by the people and the seat of government was fixed at Kaskaskia. Ninian Edwards, at that time chief justice of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky, was appointed governor of the newly organized Territory of Illinois on April 24, 1809. In June following the appointment of Governor Edwards, he and the judges first met as a law making body at Kaskaskia. On May 21, 1812, Illinois was raised to the second grade of territorial government and in October of that year it elected its first territorial officers and its delegates to Congress. The first session of the territorial legislature followed. The outbreak of the War of 1812 found Illinois taking its first steps in self-government. There was no fighting in Illinois between the British and American troops, but the war affected Illinois because of Indian attacks incited by British agents all through the Northwest. One of the posts in Illinois which suffered most was Fort Dearborn on the [103] Chicago River, which had been established eight years before to supply the Indians' wants and control their policies. A garrison of seventy-five men under Captain Heald was stationed at the fort. Heald was ordered by his superior, General Hull, in charge of the whole territory, to evacuate the fort. After distributing his stores to the Indians and promising more, Captain Heald and his men marched out of the fort on August 15, with a force of 500 Indians acting as escort, and headed toward Fort Wayne. The Indians treacherously attacked the troops after they left the fort and two-thirds of the men were killed. The remainder surrendered to the Indians and were distributed among them and not ransomed until a year later. The fort was plundered and burned to the ground and children of the party were killed. Troops were at once enlisted for an expedition against the tribes who had taken part in this measure. During the remainder of the war the frontier was in a state of defense. Remote settlers were moved into villages and strongholds were rebuilt and strengthened. In 1813 Congress passed the Pre-emption Act for Illinois, giving settlers the right of pre-emption on public lands and protecting them against speculation. Early in 1818 the legislature of the territory sent Nathaniel Pope as terri- torial delegate to Washington seeking admission for Illinois into the Union as a State. In ten years the population of the Illinois Territory had increased nearly 500 per cent. Admission — Governor Shadrach Bond. — On Pope's suggestion, 3 per cent of the money secured by the sale of public lands, which other states of the Northwest Territory had been given on their admission for the building of roads and bridges, was to be used in Illinois for public schools, and the boundary line as fixed by the Ordinance of 1787 was moved farther north, giving the State frontage on Lake Michigan. The line was fixed at 42 degrees and 30 minutes. A strip of land sixty-one miles wide, from which fourteen counties have since been made, was taken from Wisconsin territory. But for this change in the boundary, Illinois would have lost Chicago, the lead mines of Galena and the Illinois and Michigan Canal. The vote of these northern counties had an important influence on the attitude of Illinois during the troublous days preceding the Civil War. On April 18 Congress adopted an act enabling the people of Illinois to frame a State Constitution and fixing the present boundary. In July following members of a Constitutional Convention were elected. The convention assem- bled on August 26 and adopted the first Constitution of the State. The first election of State officers was held on September 17 and the first Legislature of the State convened at Kaskaskia on October 5. The following day Shadrach Bond, the first governor of the State, and the other State officers were inaugurated. The act formally admitting Illinois as a State of the Federal Union was adopted December 3, 1818. [104] UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 977.3W887I COM ILLINOIS AND LINCOLN SPRINGFIELD, ILL.? Ill ill ■ 031842492