Oglesby, Richard J. (Richard James), 1824-1899

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American soldier and legislator.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Washington, to G.H. Williams, 1873 Mar. 14. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270611451

Richard J. Ogelsby was an officer in the Civil War and seriously wounded, eventually promoted to major general, elected to governor of Illinois in 1864, 1872 and 1884, and ten days after his 1885 term began, resigned after being chosen by the Illinois Republican party for the senate. He had been an orphan and a self taught lawyer when he went to California in 1849 and came back rich from the gold fields. He speculated in land and became interested in politics. In 1856 he toured Europe. He was a friend of Abraham Lincoln and strongly anti-slavery. After retiring from politics he stayed at his home in Elkhart, Illinois with his wife, Emma Gillett Keays Ogelsby.

From the description of Papers, 1856-1924. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 51297870

Civil War general, Illinois governor (1865-1869, 1873, 1885-1889), and U. S. Senator (1873-1879).

From the description of Letter, February 5, 1870. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 706817104

From the description of Correspondence, 1865-1866. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 690959907

A self educated lawyer who made money specualting in land around Decatur, Illinois, he served in the Mexican War and the Civil War, was elected governor three times and served in the U.S. Senate. In 1864 he was nominated and elected governor of Illinois. He made Illinois the first state to ratify the 13th amendment outlawing slavery and enacted a voters registration bill. Also supported Urbana as the site for the Illinois Industrial University, the future University of Illinois. He supported prison reform, created the office of attorney general and appointed his friend Robert Ingersoll as the first. Was very opposed to Andrew Johnson's policies.

He was elected again in 1872 but thirteen days after his term began he was chosen to take the senate seat of Lyman Trumbull. He speculated in silver mines until he was coaxed into running for governor and being elected again in 1884. During this term he commuted the death sentence of two Haymarket Riot ancarchists, Samuel Fielden and Michael Schwab. He was active in the GAR and president of the Abraham Lincoln Monument Association. He and his second wife, Emma Gillett Oglesby, retired in Elkhart, Ill.

From the description of Papers, 1846-1924. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 51297872

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Oglesby, Richard J. (Richard James), 1824-1899. Papers, 1856-1924. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf Haynie, Isham Nicholas, 1824-1868. Papers [microform], 1848-1898. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf Hay, Milton, 1817-1893. Letter signed : Springfield, Illinois, to Senator Richard J. Oglesby, 1873 Dec. 1. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Ulysses S. Grant Papers, 1819-1969, (bulk 1843-1885) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf National Lincoln Monument Association. Records, 1865-1920. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Parke, C. R., 1823-. Letters, 1858, 1865. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf Stevenson, Adlai E. (Adlai Ewing), 1835-1914. Family papers, 1830-1966. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States Commandery of the State of Massachusetts Civil War collection, 1724-1933 (inclusive); 1861-1912 (bulk). Houghton Library
referencedIn Frederick M. Dearborn collection of military and political Americana, Part III: The Civil War: The Union, 1804-1915. Houghton Library
referencedIn Lincoln Room collection of miscellaneous papers, 1837-1924. Houghton Library
creatorOf Oglesby, Richard James, 1824-1899. Autograph letter signed : Washington, to G.H. Williams, 1873 Mar. 14. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Eccles, Joseph T., 1807-fl. 1880. Papers, 1859-1871. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf Smith, Gustavus Adolphus, 1820-1885. Papers, 1841-1920. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn National Lincoln Monument Association. Appointment, May 25, 1865. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Oglesby family. Papers, 1845-1938. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf Shaw, Benjamin F., 1830-fl. 1908. Papers, 1856-1908. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Robert Green Ingersoll Papers, 1826-1940, (bulk 1866-1899) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Schilling, Roy O. An interview with Roy O. Schilling [sound recording] / Roy O. Schilling ; Christopher Reynolds, interviewer. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Smith, Dietrich C., 1840-. Papers, April 1861-Feb. 1865. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf Oglesby, Richard J. (Richard James), 1824-1899. Papers, 1846-1924. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf North, Foster, b. 1861. Religious liberty in the University of Illinois : scrapbook, 1885-1929. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf [Richard J. Oglesby, biographical materials] University of Wisconsin - Madison, General Library System
referencedIn Pitner, Thomas J. Scrapbook : political men and women, 1896-1900. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Philip Case Lockwood memorial collection of Civil War portraits and autographs, 1862-ca. 1886. Houghton Library
referencedIn Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899. Letter : New York, N.Y., to Geo. A. Schilling, Chicago, Ill., 1887 Nov. 3. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf Haynie, Isham Nicholas, 1824-1868. Papers, 1848-1898. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Henry Pelham Holmes Bromwell Papers, 1794-1929, (bulk 1840-1900) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Davis, David, 1815-1886. David Davis papers, 1815-1964 (bulk 1815-1886). Chicago History Museum
creatorOf Oglesby, Richard J. (Richard James), 1824-1899. Letter, February 5, 1870. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Pasfield, George, 1831-?. Scrapbook, 1834-1912. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
creatorOf Oglesby, Richard J. (Richard James), 1824-1899. Correspondence, 1865-1866. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Sheaff, Charles Raymond, 1867-1942. Charles Raymond Sheaff papers, 1861-1942 (bulk 1861-1898). UC Berkeley Libraries
referencedIn Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885. Papers, 1843-1969 (bulk 1843-1908) Library of Congress
referencedIn Illinois. Office of Secretary of State. Index Dept. Executive Section. Governor's office ledger, 1877-1888. Illinois State Archive
referencedIn Lyman Trumbull Correspondence, 1843-1894, (bulk 1855-1872) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Hanks, John, 1802-1889. Document: Decatur, Ill., 1860 June 1. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn David B. Hill Papers, 1885-1910 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
referencedIn Photographic Portrait File The Huntington Library
creatorOf Oglesby, Richard James, 1824-1899. Richard James Oglesby interview ... by Washington Davis : Elkhart, Illinois : ms., 1890. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Haynie, Isham Nicholas, 1824-1868. Papers, 1832-1834, 1865. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Fuller, B. A. G., 1879-1956. Autograph collection, 1620-1920 Houghton Library
referencedIn Trumbull, Lyman, 1813-1896. Papers of Lyman Trumbull, 1843-1894 (bulk 1855-1872). Library of Congress
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
correspondedWith Bromwell, Henry Broughton. person
correspondedWith Bromwell, Henry Pelham Holmes, 1823-1903. person
associatedWith Cook, Harry DeWitt, 1817-1879. person
associatedWith Davis, David, 1815-1886. person
associatedWith Davis, Washington. person
associatedWith Dearborn, Frederick M. (Frederick Myers), b. 1876 person
associatedWith Dodge, Grenville Mellen, 1831-1916. person
associatedWith Eccles, Joseph T., 1807-fl. 1880. person
associatedWith Fielden, Samuel, b. 1847. person
associatedWith Fuller, B. A. G. (Benjamin Apthorp Gould), 1879-1956 person
associatedWith G.A.R. National Memorial Hall (Decatur, Ill.) corporateBody
associatedWith Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885. person
correspondedWith Grant, U. S. (Ulysses S.), 1881-1968 person
associatedWith Hanks, John, 1802-1889. person
associatedWith Hay, Milton, 1817-1893. person
associatedWith Haynie, Isham Nicholas, 1824-1868. person
associatedWith Hill, David Bennett, 1843-1910 person
associatedWith Hurlbut, Stephen Augustus, 1815-1882. person
associatedWith Illinois. Governor (1865-1869: Oglesby) corporateBody
associatedWith Illinois Industrial University. corporateBody
associatedWith Illinois. Office of Secretary of State. Index Dept. Executive Section. corporateBody
associatedWith Indiana and Illinois Central Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899. person
associatedWith Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865. person
correspondedWith Lockwood, Philip Case, 1844-1897 person
associatedWith McClernand, John A. (John Alexander), 1812-1900. person
associatedWith Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Commandery of the State of Massachusetts, collector. corporateBody
associatedWith Morrill, W. DeB. person
associatedWith National Lincoln Monument Association. corporateBody
associatedWith National Lincoln Monument Association. corporateBody
associatedWith National Lincoln Monument Association. corporateBody
associatedWith North, Foster, b. 1861. person
associatedWith Oglesby, Emma (Emma Gillett Keays), 1845-1928. person
associatedWith Oglesby family. family
associatedWith Oglesby family. family
associatedWith Parke, C. R., 1823- person
associatedWith Pasfield, George, 1831-? person
associatedWith Pitner, Thomas J. person
associatedWith Schilling, Roy O. person
associatedWith Schwab, Michael, b. 1853. person
associatedWith Shaw, Benjamin F., 1830-fl. 1908. person
associatedWith Sheaff, Charles Raymond, 1867-1942. person
associatedWith Smith, Dietrich C., 1840- person
associatedWith Smith, Gustavus Adolphus, 1820-1885. person
associatedWith Stevenson, Adlai E. (Adlai Ewing), 1835-1914. person
associatedWith Trumbull, Lyman, 1813-1896. person
correspondedWith United States. Army corporateBody
associatedWith Vincent, Thomas M. (Thomas MacCurdy), 1832-1909. person
associatedWith Western Mining Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Williams, George Henry, 1820-1910, person
associatedWith Wilson, James Grant, 1832-1914. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Illinois
Dublin (Ireland)
Edinburgh (Scotland)
Glasgow (Scotland)
Illinois
Illinois--Decatur
Fort Donelson (Tenn.)
London (England)
Liverpool (England)
Belfast (Northern Ireland)
United States
Subject
Corinth, Battle of, Corinth, Miss., 1862
Governor
Haymarket Square Riot, Chicago, Ill., 1886
Johnson, Andrew
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Real property
Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1824-07-25

Death 1899-04-24

Information

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SNAC ID: 2083117