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Orlando B. Ficklin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) From 1912'sA Genealogical History of the Ficklin Family | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy R. Young |
| Succeeded by | Jesse O. Norton |
| In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | John T. Stuart |
| Succeeded by | Timothy R. Young |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1808-12-16)December 16, 1808 Scott County, Kentucky, US |
| Died | May 5, 1886(1886-05-05) (aged 77) Charleston, Illinois, US |
| Resting place | Mound Cemetery, Charleston, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
Orlando Bell Ficklin (December 16, 1808 – May 5, 1886) was aU.S. Representative fromIllinois.
Born inScott County, Kentucky, Ficklin attended the common schools. He was graduated from Transylvania Law School,Lexington, Kentucky, in 1830. He wasadmitted to the bar in 1830 and commenced practice inMount Carmel, Illinois. He served in theBlack Hawk War as quartermaster in 1832. He served as colonel of the militia ofWabash County in 1833.
In 1835, Ficklin becamestate's attorney for the Wabash circuit. He was also a member of theIllinois House of Representatives in 1835, 1838, and 1842. He moved toCharleston, Illinois in 1837.
Ficklin was elected as aDemocrat to theTwenty-eighth,Twenty-ninth, andThirtieth Congresses (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849). He was chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds (Twenty-ninth Congress).
Although Ficklin worked as co-counsel withAbraham Lincoln on many cases, they were on opposite sides in possibly their most famous case. In 1847, Ficklin and his friendCharles H. Constable represented slaves who ran away while in Illinois and believed that they were free, arguing that theNorthwest Ordinance forbade slavery in Illinois.Usher F. Linder[1] andAbraham Lincoln defended Robert Matson, a Kentucky enslaver who brought the enslaved people from his Kentucky plantation to work on land he owned in Illinois.[2] Lincoln invoked the right of transit, which allowed enslavers to take their slaves temporarily into free territory, stressing that Matson did not intend the enslaved people to remain permanently in Illinois.[3]
The judge in Coles County ruled for Ficklin's clients and against Lincoln, and the enslaved people were set free.[4] Illinois and other free states adopted the principle "once free, always free." Case law in both Northern and Southern states had established that while slaves in transit through a free state remained slaves, slaves domiciled in a free state were entitled to their freedom.[5]
Ficklin argued passionately that the federal government must develop the land, cultivating prairie even if such destroyed the native flowers and wild deer:
Unless the government shall grant head rights ... prairies, with their gorgeous growth of flowers, their green carpeting, their lovely lawns and gentle slopes will for centuries continue to be the home of wild deer and wolf, their stillness will be undisturbed by the jocund song of the farmer, and their deep and fertile soil unbroken by the plowshare. Something must be done to remedy this evil.[6]
Voters returned Ficklin to Congress in 1850, and he served in theThirty-second Congress (March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853). During that session, Ficklin was chair of the Committee on the District of Columbia (Thirty-second Congress). He resumed the practice of law in Charleston. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in1856,1860, and1864.
In the summer of 1864, Ficklin led a delegation to Washington to secure the release of 15 Coles County men arrested by military authorities for rioting. He requested they be returned to civilian authorities for indictment and trial, and the President granted his request about a week before the November election.[7]
Although a Democrat in an area known for its Copperhead leanings, Ficklin eulogized Lincoln as a statesman and lamented his death.[8]
Ficklin was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1869 and 1870. He again served in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1878.
Ficklin died inCharleston, Illinois, and was interred in Mound Cemetery.
{{cite book}}:Check|isbn= value: invalid character (help)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 3rd congressional district 1843-1849 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 3rd congressional district 1851-1853 | Succeeded by |
| Public Buildings and Grounds (1837–1947) |  | |
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| Rivers and Harbors (1883–1947) | ||
| Roads (1913–1947) | ||
| Flood Control (1916–1947) | ||
| Transportation and Infrastructure* (1947–) | ||
| Note | * Alternately namedPublic Works in 80th through 93rd Congresses andPublic Works and Transportation in 94th through 103rd Congresses. | |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
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