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Richard J. Oglesby | |
|---|---|
 c. 1875 | |
| 14th Governor of Illinois | |
| In office January 16, 1865 – January 11, 1869 | |
| Lieutenant | William Bross |
| Preceded by | Richard Yates |
| Succeeded by | John M. Palmer |
| In office January 13, 1873 – January 23, 1873 | |
| Lieutenant | John Lourie Beveridge |
| Preceded by | John M. Palmer |
| Succeeded by | John Lourie Beveridge |
| In office January 30, 1885 – January 14, 1889 | |
| Lieutenant | John Smith |
| Preceded by | John Marshall Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Joseph W. Fifer |
| United States Senator fromIllinois | |
| In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879 | |
| Preceded by | Lyman Trumbull |
| Succeeded by | John A. Logan |
| Member of theIllinois Senate | |
| In office 1860 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard James Oglesby (1824-07-25)July 25, 1824 Oldham County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | April 24, 1899(1899-04-24) (aged 74) Elkhart, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Louisville |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1846–1847 1861–1864 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Battles/wars | Mexican–American War American Civil War |
Richard James Oglesby (July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899) was an American soldier andRepublican politician fromIllinois, who served three non-consecutive terms asGovernor of Illinois (from 1865 to 1869, for ten days in 1873, and from 1885 to 1889) and as aUnited States Senator from Illinois (from 1873 to 1879), and earlier was a member of theIllinois Senate, elected in 1860. The town ofOglesby, Illinois, is named in his honor,[1] as is an elementary school situated in theAuburn Gresham neighborhood ofChicago's south side.[2][3]
He served in theUnited States Army during theMexican–American War of 1846–47, and after the war became a prospector during theCalifornia Gold Rush and was elected to theIllinois General Assembly. During theAmerican Civil War, Oglesby volunteered for theUnion Army and rose to the rank ofmajor general, serving in theWestern Theater; he left the army when he was electedGovernor of Illinois in 1864.
Oglesby was born inFloydsburg,Oldham County, Kentucky.[4] He was orphaned and moved to live with his uncle inDecatur, Illinois in 1836, where he worked as a farmhand and carpenter.[5]
With the outbreak of theMexican–American War, he enlisted as a 1st Lieutenant in Company C, 4th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment[6] taking part in the battles ofVeracruz andCerro Gordo "where his regiment almost captured Mexican President General Santa Anna, but they had to settle for his cork leg, carriage and $20,000 in gold".[7]
He might have participated in what may have been the firstbaseball game ever played outside the U.S., at the end of April 1847, a few days after theBattle of Cerro Gordo, "with the wooden leg captured (by the Fourth Illinois regiment) from GeneralSanta Anna".[8]
He was mustered out of the volunteer service in May 1847.[citation needed]
He studied at Louisville Law School in 1848, but traveled toCalifornia for thegold rush in 1849, where he tried his hand at gold mining. After two years of traveling inEurope, he returned to Illinois in 1851[9]and joined theRepublican Party at its formation. Oglesby ran unsuccessfully for theU.S. Congress in 1858 but was elected to theIllinois Senate in 1860. In 1859, Oglesby married Decatur native Anna White. They had four children: Richard, Elizabeth, Robert, and Olive.[citation needed] Oglesby was one of the earliest advocates for Abraham Lincoln's nomination as the 1860 presidential candidate of the Republican Party; it may have been he who applied the moniker "Railsplitter" to Lincoln.
At the start of the Civil War, Oglesby was appointedcolonel of the8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was a well-liked commander, receiving the moniker "Uncle Dick" from his troops. He commanded his brigade at the battles ofFort Henry andFort Donelson and soon after was promoted to the rank ofbrigadier general. He commanded troops during theSiege of Corinth. Oglesby sustained severe injuries in theBattle of Corinth in 1862 and was elevated to the status ofmajor general that same year.[10]
After a brief period of recovery, Oglesby resumed military service in 1863. However, at the request ofAbraham Lincoln, he abandoned his commission in 1864, successfully running for Illinois governor on the Republican ticket.[10]
He was present in the room at thePetersen House when President Abraham Lincoln died on April 15, 1865.[11]
Oglesby first served as governor ofIllinois from 1865 to 1869. During his tenure as governor, he advocated improving the quality of care of the mentally ill and for other groups of disabled citizens. He also signed legislation expanding the State Hospital system from one campus to three.[12] After his term ended, he practiced law until 1872, when he agreed to a scheme in which Oglesby ran again for governor, but turned the office over to the lieutenant governor immediately after inauguration in return for a seat in theU.S. Senate. He served as a Senator from 1873 until 1879. In 1884, he was reelected governor for a third time, becoming the first man in Illinois history to serve three times as governor. At the end of his third term as governor, he tried unsuccessfully to be reelected to his Senate seat. He spent his remaining years in retirement and died at his "Oglehurst" estate inElkhart, Illinois. He is buried there in Elkhart Cemetery. There is astatue of Richard J. Oglesby inLincoln Park, Chicago.
His son,John G. Oglesby, was a two timeLieutenant Governor of Illinois.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Illinois 1864 | Succeeded by John M. Palmer |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Illinois 1872 | Succeeded by Shelby Moore Cullom |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Illinois 1884 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Illinois 1865–1869 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Illinois 1873 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Illinois 1885–1889 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Illinois 1873–1879 Served alongside:John A. Logan,David Davis | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| Public Lands (1816–1921) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Public Lands and Surveys (1921–1947) | ||
| Interior and Insular Affairs (1947–1977) | ||
| Energy and Natural Resources (1977–) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
