Category Archives: Politics

Sangamon County sheriffs, 1821-2024

Posted on September 20, 2024 by editor

This entry has been updated. Here is a list of people who have served as sheriff of Sangamon County since the county was established on Jan. 30, 1821. Dates indicate when the sheriffs were commissioned unless noted. John Taylor: 1821, … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Edmund D. Taylor, (not the) ‘father of the greenback’

Posted on March 22, 2024 by editor

Edmund “Dick” Taylor was a legislator, businessman and investor. He was one of the winners in the only direct election Abraham Lincoln ever lost. And he probably wasn’t “the father of the greenback.” Taylor (1804-91) lived in Springfield in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Drowning of Mayor Griffiths, 1907

Posted on May 12, 2023 by editor

Springfield Mayor David Griffiths and Fire Chief Peter Jacobs were on their way to a day of fishing June 12, 1907. When they took a wrong turn, their buggy overturned in a Sangamon River backwater slough. Neither man could swim. … Continue reading →

Posted in Illustrations, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon River | Leave a comment

Dick Sullivan, political ‘boss’

Posted on September 8, 2022 by editor

Dick Sullivan, reputed to be Sangamon County’s behind-the-scenes political master for the first two decades of the 20th century, died in a violent train collision in New York state in 1923. Richard M. Sullivan (1874-1923), his wife Clara (1875-1923), their … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Springfield, State government | Leave a comment

Gov. Len Small arrested, 1921

Posted on August 9, 2022 by editor

The Aug. 9, 1921, arrest of Gov. Len Small for alleged corruption created a daylong drama in Springfield. It was performed on three stages: the Capitol, the governor’s mansion and the Sangamon County Courthouse. Stars included Small, county Sheriff Henry … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Illinois capital, Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Spectacles, State government, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

First Black U of I trustee

Posted on June 17, 2022 by editor

This entry has been updated and corrected. See below. John J. Bird became the first African-American trustee of the University of Illinois at a time when the school was essentially all-white. Bird’s tombstone in Oak Ridge Cemetery doesn’t mention that … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Education, Higher education, Illinois capital, Politics, Prominent figures, State government, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Shelby M. Cullom (U.S. Senate)

Posted on October 29, 2021 by editor

Shelby M. Cullom won his first election by four votes. It was the start of a 60-year political career that would take him to the edge of the presidency. As a lawmaker, Cullom (1829-1914) “sometimes seemed to plod,” an obituary … Continue reading →

Posted in John T. Stuart, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Oak Ridge signs, Politics, Presidential candidates, Prominent figures, State government | Leave a comment

Edward L. Baker (editor, diplomat)

Posted on September 14, 2021 by editor

As a newsman, Edward L. Baker delivered two of the biggest stories of the 19th century to Springfield. As a diplomat, Baker was too good to remove, no matter which party controlled the federal government. “Ned” Baker (1829-97) was only … Continue reading →

Posted in Communications, Journalism, Lincoln, Abraham, Media, Oak Ridge signs, Politics, Prominent figures | 3 Comments

Gov. William H. Bissell

Posted on August 31, 2021 by editor

When Gov. William Bissell was reburied in 1871, the crowd may have been bigger than at any Springfield funeral since that of Abraham Lincoln. Bissell was the first Republican, first college graduate and first disabled person elected governor. He also … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois capital, Markers, Oak Ridge signs, Politics, Prominent figures, Spectacles, State government, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Harry Lane, ‘boss gambler’

Posted on April 20, 2021 by editor

Chester M. “Harry” Lane was Springfield’s gambling kingpin at the turn of the 20th century, apparently with the connivance of police, city officials, and the courts. He stepped down in the mid-1900s, after a fatal shooting, the election of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Business, Crime and vice, Hotels & taverns, Journalism, Law enforcement, Media, Politics, Prominent figures | 1 Comment