People and Politics in

Kane County, Illinois
©2002 Transcribed by Kimberly Torp

Constitutional Conventions:

1847 Delegates were:

• Augustus Adams
• Alfred Churchill
• Thomas Judd

The two men below were from other counties, but moved to Kane County after the convention:

• Eben F. Colby (moved to Elgin)
• Samuel Drake Lockwood (Batavia).

Supreme Court Members from Kane:

Samuel Drake Lockwood - He was a Supreme Court Judge from January 1825 until December 1848.

Major Woodbury M. Taylor was elected Clerk of the Supreme Court in June, 1867 for the Central Grand Division.

Miscellaneous offices held by Kane County folks:

Henry E. Hunt of Dundee served as a member of the State Board of Equalization from 1876 to 1880

Dr. Ansel L. Clark (former surgeon of the 127th IL Infantry) was a member and Secretary of the State Board of Health. Also was an incorporator and President of the Bennett Medical College at Chicago.

Members of the General Assembly:

Kane County first appeared upon the journal of the Senate and House of Representatives at Springfield on the 5th day of December, 1842 at the opening of the session of the Legislature.

Ira Minard was sworn in as Senator and Henry Madden as Representative for the District composed of Boone, DeKalb, Kane, McHenry and Kendall Counties.

Senators from Kane:

1844-1846: Ira Minard, St. Charles	1846-1868: Gen. Elijah Wilcox, Elgin
1848-1855: William B. Plato, Geneva	1855-1863: Augustus Adams, Elgin
1863-1871: Edward R. Allen, Aurora	1871-1873: James W. Eddy, Batavia
1873-1877: Eugene Canfield, Aurora	1877-1881: Major James H. Mayborne, Geneva
1877-1903: Henry H. Evans

Members of the House of Representatives:

1846-1848: James Herrington, Geneva	1848-1851: Edward W. Austin, Dundee
1851-1853: Augustus Adams, Elgin	1853-1855: John Ranstead, Plato
1855-1857: Benjamin Hackney, Aurora	1857-1859: William Parker
1859-1861: William B. Plato, Geneva	1861-1863: Thomas S. Terry
1863-1867: Sylvester S. Mann, Burlington	1867-1869: John W. Eddy, Batavia
1869-1871: Needham N. Ravlin, Kaneville	1873-1875: Sylvester S. Mann, Julius A. Carpenter, Carpentersville; James Herrington, Geneva
1875-1877: James Herrington	1877-1879: Henry H. Evans, Aurora; James Herrington
1879-1881: Edward C. Lovell, Elgin; James Herrington	1881-1883: Oliver P. Chisholm, Elgin; James Herrington
1883-1885: James Herrington	1885-1887: John Stewart, Elburn; Thomas O'Donnell, Aurora
1887-1889: John Stewart, James Herrington	1889-1897: Edgar C. Hawley, Dundee; Luther M. Dearborn, Aurora
1897-1899: William F. Hunter, Elgin; Samuel Alschuler	1901-1903: Charles Backus, Hampshire; John A. Logan, Elgin
1903-1905: Charles Backus and John Linden, Aurora

The Democratic members - Messrs. Herrington, O'Donnell, Dearborn, Alschuler, Logan and Linden - were elected under the minority representation provision of the State Constitution, the other members being Republicans.

The first term of the circuit Court in Kane County was held in James Herrington's log house at Geneva (then called Herrington's Ford), beginning Monday, June 19, 1837. Kane was then in the Sixth Judicial Circuit and Thomas Ford, judge of the Circuit issued the order calling the term and also appointed A.P. Hubbard to serve as Clerk. It was presided over, however, by John Pearson, Judge of the Seventh Circuit. Judge Jesse B. Thomas, of the First Judicial Circuit, presided at the second term of court held at the same place in September, 1837. Alonzo A. Huntington appeared as State's Attorney and Mark Fletcher served as Clerk. The third and fourth terms were again presided over by Judge Pearson. February 25, 1839, Thomas Ford was commissioned Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, to which Kane County had evidently been assigned, and Judge Ford first appears upon the bench at the term beginning May 27, 1839. Onslow Peters is entered as State's Attorney. John Dean Caton, as a Justice and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, presided form May 27, 1841, until January 24, 1848 when Judge Hugh T. Dickey, of Cook County, held a special session of the court. Theophilus Lyle Dickey was commissioned Judge of the Ninth Circuit. The Legislature having increased the number of circuits, Kane became a part of the Thirteenth Circuit, and Isaac Grant Wilson, the first Judge resident in the county, was commissioned June 18, 1851. He was re-elected in 1855 and again in 1861. October 4, 1864, Kane was transferred to the 28th Circuit. Judge Wilson held the office until 1867, when, on June 14, 1867, Sylvanus Wilcox was commissioned Judge and recommissioned in June 1873. October 1, 1877, the number of the district was changed to the 12th and Judge Isaac Grant Wilson was again commissioned as Judge on June 16, 1879; a third time, June 16, 1885 and he continued in office until his death in 1891. From June, 1879, he served as a Judge of the Appellate Court at Chicago. In June, 1891, Henry B. Willis received his commission as Judge of this circuit, again in 1897 and for a third term of six years in 1903.

The Clerks of the Circuit Court have been as follows:

1836: Allen P. Hubbard	1837-1848: Mark W. Fletcher
1848-1852: Charles B. Wells	1852-1856: Luther Dearborn
1856-1860: Paul R. Wright	1860-1864: Thomas C. Moore
1864-1868: Pinder F. Ward	1868-1872: J.W. Parrington
1872-1876: H.T. Rockwell	1876-1884: C.P. Dutton
1884-1896: Charles Miller

1896-1901: John F. Dewey, who died in 1901, being succeeded by Thomas Ruston, who served the remainder of his term until 1902, when Capt. Benjamin E. Gould was elected. Mr. Gould lost his life in the Iroquoi Theater fire in Chicago, December 30, 1903.

Board of Supervisors:

1836	Solomon Dunham, Ebenezer Morgan, Eli Barnes
1837	Thomas H. Thompson, Mark Daniels, J.W. Churchill
1838	Ira Minard, George E. Peck, A.P. Hubbard
1839	Noah B. Spaulding, William B. West, A.P. Hubbard
1840-1841	Noah B. Spaulding, William B. West, A.P. Hubbard
1842	William B. West, S.E. Johnson, ?
1843	S.E. Johnson, W.B. West, Thomas E. Dodge
1844	William C. Kimball, S.E. Johnson, Thos. E. Dodge
1845	Wm. C. Kimball, Silas Reynolds, Thos. E. Dodge
1845-1847	David W. Annis, S. Reynolds, T.H. Whittemore
1848-1849	D.W. Annis, John Scott, T.H. Whittemore

Recorder of Deeds:

Bef. 1842: Relief Duryea	Served until 1842: David Dunham
1842-1846: George W. Gorton	1846-1848: E.H. Swarthout
1892: Joseph Ingham	1896 & 1900: Frank E. George

County Judges:

1836-1838: Mark Daniels	1838-1840: Isaac Wilson
1840:1842: H.N. Chapman	1842-1844: L. Howard
1844-1848: S.S. Jones	1848-1850: A.V. Sill
1850-1852: I.G. Wilson	1852-1858: W.D. Barry
1858-1860: Daniel Eastman	1860:1866: R.N. Botsford
1866-1868: Capt. J.T. Brown	1868-1870: C.D.F. Smith
1870-1874: W.D. Barry	1874-1882: J.W. Ranstead
1882-1890: Edward C. Lowell	1890-1894: D.B. Sherwood
1894: M.O. Southworth (the present excellent incumbent)

County Clerks:

1836-1846: Mark W. Fletcher	1846-1848: J.L. Warren
1848-1856: James Herrington	1856-1860: John Greene
1860-1868: Henry B. Pierce	1868-1872: Frank P. Crandon
1872 until resigned in 1879: John C. Sherwin	1879-1886: Thomas Meredith, Jr.
1886-1894: Arthur M. Beaupre	1894-1898: Charles W. Raymond
1898-1902: John McKellar	1902: WiIliam F. Lynch

Sheriffs

1836-1840: B.F. Fridley	1840: James Risk
1842-1848: Noah B. Spaulding	1848-1850: B.C. Yates
1850-1852: Luther Dearborn	1852-1854: Noah B. Spaulding
1854-1856: L.P. Barker	1856-1858: Geo. E. Corwin
1858-1860: Ethan J. Allen	1860-1862: Demarcus Clark
1862-1864: Jas. H. Whipple	1864-1866: H.L. Perry
1866-1868: D. Smith	1868-1870: L.M. Kelly
1870-1874: James C. Brown	1874-1876: L.M. Kelly
1876-1880: Chas. S. Mixer	1880-1886: N.S. Carlisle
1886-1890: John Kelly	1890-1894: William Reid
1894-1898: Robert Burke	1898-1902: H. F. Demmer
1902-1904: Robert Burke

Coroners

1836-1840: Asa McDole	1840-1842: R.N. Mathews
1842-1844: William C. Kimball	1844-1846: N.H. Dearborn
1846-1850: David Wheeler	1850-1852: J.P. Bartlett
1852-1854: W.H. Robinson	1854-1856: J.P. Bartlett
1856-1858: Wm. Conant	1858-1860: Delos H. Young
1860-1866: H.H. Williams	1866-1868: Charles H. Bucher
1868-1870: S.E. Weld	1870-1872: S. McNair
1872-1876: Ira H. Fitch	1876-1878: H.C. Gillett
1878-1880: C.H. Bucher	1880-1892: H.H. Williams
1892-1896: C.W. Putnam	1896-1904: Charles B. Mead

Treasurers

1837-1839: John Griggs	1840: H.A. Miller
1841-1842: Bela T. Hunt	1843: E.R. Allen
1844: Charles Metcalf	1845-1846: James Hotchkiss
1847-1849: Thos. A. Scott	1850: S.K. Whiting
1851: John Clark	1852: A.W. Glass
1853-1854: Geo. P. Harvey	1855-1856: George W. Waite
1857-1858: William P. West	1859-1860: Adin Mann
1861-1864: R.W. Hoyt	1865-1866: William A. Miller
1867-1868: Captain Alphonso Barto	1869-1872: W.P. West
1873-1874: Henry C. Paddock	1875-1876: Thomas F. Tolman
1877-1878: Thomas B. Coulter	1879-1880: F.L. Young
1887-1890: C.E. Smiley	1890-1894: James M. Innes
1894-1898: Robert J. McCornack	1898-1902: Henry M. Gough
1902-1904: Samuel Shedden

Surveyors

1836: Mark W. Fletcher	1837-1842: P.J. Wagner
1843-1846: Adin Mann	1847: James Carr
1848-1851: Andrew Pingree	1851-1852: Alvin Slack
1853-1854: Andrew Pingree	1855-1858: Adin Mann
1859-1862: Geo. Wilder	1863-1874: L.D. Kendall
1874-1877: W.H. Pease	1878: Geo. Wilder
1879-1896: W.H. Pease	1896-1900: Lieut.-Col. Adin Mann
1900-1904: Henry Dakin

School Superintendents

1841-1842: Ira Minard	1843-1844: Wyatt Carr
1845-1846: Alfred W. Churchill	1847-1848: John W. Hapgood
1849: Joseph Kimball	1850-1852: Edward W. Brewster
1853-1854: D.D. Waite	1855-1856: Mervin Tabor
1857-1860: David Higgins	1861-1862: N.F. Nichols
1863-1864: Clark Braden	1865-1868: C.E. Smith
1869-1873: Geo. B. Charles	1874-1886: Charles E. Mann
1886-1902: Marvin Quackenbush (died in office)	1902: H.A. Dean

State's Attorneys

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