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Richard J. Oglesby | |
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![]() 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 from Illinois | |
In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879 | |
Preceded by | Lyman Trumbull |
Succeeded by | John A. Logan |
Member of the Illinois Senate | |
In office 1860 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard James Oglesby July 25, 1824 Oldham County, Kentucky |
Died | April 24, 1899 Elkhart, Illinois | (aged 74)
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 | ![]() |
Battles/wars | Mexican–American War, American Civil War |
Richard James Oglesby (July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899) was an American soldier and Republican politician from Illinois, who served three non-consecutive terms as Governor of Illinois (from 1865 to 1869, for ten days in 1873, and from 1885 to 1889) and as a United States Senator from Illinois (from 1873 to 1879), and earlier was a member of the Illinois Senate, elected in 1860. The town of Oglesby, Illinois, is named in his honor,[1] as is an elementary school situated in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood of Chicago's south side.[2][3]
He served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War of 1846–47, and after the war became a prospector during the California Gold Rush and was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. During the American Civil War, Oglesby volunteered for the Union Army and rose to the rank of major general, serving in the Western Theater; he left the army when he was elected Governor of Illinois in 1864.