John Reynolds | |
|---|---|
%2c_Fourth_Governor_of_Illinois_(cropped).png) | |
| 4th Governor of Illinois | |
| In office December 6, 1830 – November 17, 1834 | |
| Lieutenant |
|
| Preceded by | Ninian Edwards |
| Succeeded by | William Lee D. Ewing |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's1st district | |
| In office December 1, 1834 – March 3, 1837 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Slade |
| Succeeded by | Adam W. Snyder |
| In office March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843 | |
| Preceded by | Adam W. Snyder |
| Succeeded by | Robert Smith |
| Member of theIllinois House of Representatives | |
| In office 1826-1830 1846-1848 1852-1854 | |
| Justice of theIllinois Supreme Court | |
| In office 1818–1825 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Samuel D. Lockwood |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1788-02-26)February 26, 1788[1] |
| Died | May 8, 1865(1865-05-08) (aged 77) Belleville, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Married twice |
| Profession | Politician, lawyer |
| Signature |  |
John M. Reynolds[2] (February 26, 1788 – May 8, 1865) was an American lawyer and politician from the state ofIllinois who served in all three governmental branches.
One of the original four justices of theIllinois Supreme Court (1818–1825), Reynolds won several elections to theIllinois House of Representatives (1826–1830, 1846–1848, and 1852–1854, when he was Speaker of the House),United States House of Representatives (1834–1837 and 1839–1843) and the fourthIllinois Governorship (1830–1834). He was also a major general in the Illinois militia during theBlack Hawk War.
Reynolds publishedPioneer History of Illinois and a large autobiography titledMy Own Times.[3]
Reynolds was born inMontgomery County, Pennsylvania.[1] His father, Robert Reynolds and his mother, née Margaret Moore, were both natives of Ireland, from which country they emigrated to the United States in 1785, arriving first atPhiladelphia. When Reynolds was about six months old, his parents emigrated with him toTennessee, where many of their relatives had already located, at the base of theCopper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles (23 km) northeast of the present city ofKnoxville. After experiencing raids fromNative Americans, the Reynolds moved into the interior of the state in 1794. They were poor, and brought up their children to habits of manual industry.[4]
In 1800 the family moved to nearKaskaskia, Illinois,[1] where Reynolds spent most of his childhood.[4] As part of his upbringing, he adopted the principle and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors. In 1807 the family made another move, this time to theGoshen Settlement, at the foot of the bluffs overlooking theMississippi River southwest ofEdwardsville.[4]
At the age of twenty, Reynolds attended college for two years nearKnoxville, Tennessee, where he had relatives, taking courses in classical studies. He then studied law in Knoxville; health problems forced him back to Illinois, but he afterward returned to college and law in Knoxville.[4] In the fall of 1812 he was admitted to thebar at Kaskaskia,[4] and began practicing law inCahokia, Illinois,[1] opening his first law office there over the winter of 1813–1814.[4] About this time he also learned the French language, which he regarded as being superior to all others for social intercourse.[4]
With the ranks of private and orderly sergeant, Reynolds served as a scout in campaigns against the western Native Americans during theWar of 1812.[citation needed] He also served asJudge Advocate.[4] For this service, Reynolds became known as the "Old Ranger".[4] In 1814, Reynolds opened a law office in the old French village ofCahokia, then the county seat ofSt. Clair County.[4]
In the fall of 1818, John Reynolds was elected an associate justice of theIllinois Supreme Court[1] by theIllinois General Assembly.[4] In 1822, he was joined on the court byThomas Reynolds, but both were defeated for re-election in 1824; John Reynolds went on to become Governor of Illinois in 1830 and Thomas Reynolds became Governor of Missouri in 1840. Despite some biographies stating that the two men were brothers or uncle and nephew, a 1961 historical journal letter states that the two were not related: John Reynolds had a brother named Thomas Reynolds — or Thomas Michael Reynolds in one of his obituaries — but that brother owned a livery stable and dry goods store in Belleville; neither John nor his brother Thomas were any relation to the Thomas that served with John on the Supreme Court.[5]
In 1818, John Reynolds was an unsuccessful candidate for election to theUnited States Senate.[1] In 1826, he was elected a member of theIllinois House of Representatives for the first time, serving until 1830.[1] Although aligning himself with theJacksonian Democrats, his moderation earned him respect from both pro-Jackson and anti-Jackson factions.
In August 1830, Reynolds was electedgovernor of Illinois and took office on December 6, 1830,[1] giving an inaugural address that advocated for free popular education, general internal public improvements, the completion of theIllinois and Michigan Canal, and the improvement of the Chicago harbor.[2] He also advocated and recommended the completion of thefirst state penitentiary at Alton, at the direct cost of the state.[2] The most significant event of his administration was theBlack Hawk War in 1832. He called out the militia, and was field commander, often appearing in person on the battle-grounds. He was recognized byU.S. PresidentAndrew Jackson as Major-General, and was authorized to make treaties with the Native Americans.[4]Asiatic Cholera was a prominent feature of Reynolds' gubernatorial term.[4]
On November 17, 1834, Reynolds resigned as governor, having been elected to theUnited States House of Representatives[1] for theTwenty-third Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofCharles Slade. He was reelected to theTwenty-fourth Congress, serving from December 1, 1834, to March 3, 1837. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1836 to theTwenty-fifth Congress. He was subsequently elected to theTwenty-sixth andTwenty-seventh Congresses, serving from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1843.[1]
In 1837, while out of Congress and in company with a few others, he built the first railroad in theMississippi Valley, about six miles (10 km) long, leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to the bank of the river oppositeSt. Louis. Not having the funds to purchase a locomotive, the railroad wasoperated by horse-power. The next spring, the company sold out at great loss.[4]
In 1839 Reynolds was appointed one of the Canal Commissioners[clarification needed] and traveled to Philadelphia to raise funds for that purpose.[4] During that year, he also made a tour of Europe with his wife.[4] He introduced the Latter-day Saint Prophet,Joseph Smith to PresidentMartin Van Buren when Smith was seeking redress for the grievances that the Latter-day Saints suffered in Missouri.[4] This was done by Reynolds with the hope of winning the votes of the growing number of Latter-day Saints in Illinois in latter political contests.[6]
Reynolds was elected in 1846 for one term as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives[1] fromSt. Clair County;[4] during this term he caused to be built the firstmacadamized road in the state, from Belleville to St. Louis.[4] He was an unsuccessful candidate for theIllinois Senate in 1848. He was again elected to the Illinois House in 1852, serving asSpeaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.[1]
He was an unsuccessful candidate forIllinois State Superintendent of Schools in 1858, and then engaged in newspaper work.[1]
In 1860, aged and infirm, Reynolds attended theDemocratic National Convention inCharleston, South Carolina, as an anti-Douglas delegate, instead supportingJohn C. Breckinridge in theU.S. presidential election. Against RepublicanAbraham Lincoln that year, he published his support for Douglas.[4] His correspondence before and during theAmerican Civil War showed a sympathy for secession.[4]
Reynolds married twice, to Catherine Dubuque in 1817 and to Sarah E. Wilson in 1836,[5] and had no children.[4] He died inBelleville in May 1865, shortly after the Civil War, and his body was laid there in Walnut Hill Cemetery.[1]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| First | National Republican nominee forGovernor of Illinois 1830 | Succeeded by None |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Illinois 1830–1834 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 1st congressional district 1834–1837 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 1st congressional district 1839–1843 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
