Ninian Edwards

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Ninian Edwards (born March 17, 1775 in Montgomery County , Province of Maryland , † July 20, 1833 in Belleville , Illinois ) was an American politician ( Democratic Republican Party ) and from 1809 to 1818 territorial governor and from 1826 to 1830 the 3. Illinois Governor . He also represented the state of Illinois in the US Senate .

Early years and political advancement

Ninian Edwards was the son of Benjamin Edwards , who served for a short time in 1795 as Maryland's representative in the US House of Representatives . He attended Dickinson College in Carlisle ( Pennsylvania ). After a subsequent law degree and qualifying as a lawyer, he settled in Russellville ( Kentucky ) as a lawyer down. In 1796 Edwards was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives, where he remained until 1797. He then held several judicial posts until he was appointed Chief Justice of the state in 1808 . A year later, on April 24, 1809, he was appointed governor of the Illinois Territory by US President James Madison . He held this office until 1818.

Senator and Governor

After his tenure as Territorial Governor ended, Edwards became one of the first two US Senators to represent the new state of Illinois in Congress . He stayed in Washington until 1824 . He was then appointed US ambassador to Mexico . He was unable to take up this post because he had to make a statement in Washington before a committee of inquiry. It was about the allegation that he had insulted Treasury Secretary William Harris Crawford .

On August 7, 1826, Edwards was elected third governor of Illinois. His four-year term began on December 6, 1826. In the meantime, the capital of the state had been moved from Kaskaskia to Vandalia . (In 1839 it should finally be relocated to Springfield .) As governor of Illinois, Edwards campaigned for the resettlement of the Indians, which amounted to an expulsion. As a result, new Indian uprisings occurred. In 1827, Congress made land available for the construction of the Illinois-Michigan Canal. That was a step towards expanding the transport routes. Also in 1827 the construction of a penitentiary began in Alton , but it could not be completed until under Governor John Reynolds in the early 1830s.

During Edwards' tenure, the state's population grew rapidly. In 1820 this number was just over 55,000, in 1830 there were 157,445 people in Illinois. On December 6, 1830, Edwards handed over the office of governor to his successor, John Reynolds.

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure, Ninian Edwards retired into private life. He died of cholera in Belleville on July 20, 1833, and was buried there. His remains were transferred to Springfield in 1855 and interred there. Edwards was married to Elvira Lane; her son Benjamin became a successful lawyer in Illinois and was politically active as a member of the Whigs .

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personal data
SURNAME Edwards, Ninian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH March 17, 1775
PLACE OF BIRTH Montgomery County , Maryland
DATE OF DEATH July 20, 1833
Place of death Belleville , Illinois