John J. Ingalls | |
|---|---|
 Ingalls in 1873 | |
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | John Sherman |
| Succeeded by | Charles F. Manderson |
| United States Senator fromKansas | |
| In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel C. Pomeroy |
| Succeeded by | William A. Peffer |
| Member of theKansas Senate | |
| In office 1862 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1833-12-29)December 29, 1833 |
| Died | August 16, 1900(1900-08-16) (aged 66) |
| Party | Republican |
John James Ingalls (December 29, 1833 – August 16, 1900) was anAmericanRepublican politician who served as a United States senator fromKansas. Ingalls is credited with suggesting the state motto and designing the state seal.
John James Ingalls was born inMiddleton,Massachusetts, on December 29, 1833, to Elias T. Ingalls and Eliza C. Ingalls.[1] Through his father's line, Ingalls was related toEdmund Ingalls, one of the founders ofLynn, Massachusetts.[1] A first cousin of Elias was Mehitabel Ingalls, the grandmother of PresidentJames A. Garfield.[1] He graduated fromWilliams College in 1855. Foreshadowing his later reputation as a wit, his commencement oration, entitled "Mummy Life," was a satire of college life. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1857. Moving toKansas Territory, Ingalls settled inAtchison in 1860. He joined the anti-slavery forces and worked to makeKansas afree state. He was a member of theWyandotte constitutional convention in 1859 and is reputed to have coined the state motto,Ad Astra per Aspera.
When Kansas was admitted to the Union in 1861, he became secretary of the first state Senate and state senator in 1862. During theCivil War, he served as judge advocate in the Kansas militia. As an editor of the Atchison newspaper,Freedom's Champion, for three years, he won a national reputation for a series of magazine articles. Elected to theU.S. Senate in 1873, succeedingSamuel C. Pomeroy, Ingalls served for 18 years. He supported labor and agriculture against monopolies. He also favored theInterstate Commerce Act and thePendleton Civil Service Act. Ingalls rejected the nomination ofJames Campbell Matthews to the recorder of deeds in 1886. Ingalls claimed that his rejection was because of Matthews' non-residency of Washington, D.C.; however, journalists[who?] argued that his rejection was racially based.[2]
In 1887 Ingalls was electedpresident pro tempore of the Senate.
Ingalls died frombronchitis at the Montezuma hotel inLas Vegas, New Mexico, on August 16, 1900, with his wife and son by his side.[1] He was buried at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Atchison.
In 1905, the state of Kansas donated amarble statue of Ingalls to theU.S. Capitol'sNational Statuary Hall Collection.[3] After an effort starting in 2011,[4] Kansas replaced Ingalls withAmelia Earhart in 2022.[5]
John James Ingalls married Anna Louise Chesebrough in 1865, they had eleven children includingSheffield Ingalls. At the time of Ingalls' death, six of his children were still living.[1]
John James Ingalls was a second cousin ofCharles Ingalls (father toLittle House on the Prairie'sLaura Ingalls Wilder).[6]
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Kansas 1873–1891 Served alongside:Alexander Caldwell,Robert Crozier,James M. Harvey,Preston B. Plumb | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the United States Senate February 26, 1887 – March 2, 1891 | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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