The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-05-20
OBITUARY.
Ex.GOvernOr Reynolds OflllinOfs.
Ernrlt tha ST IIonis 1 Rspulllican May %

!, EXsGIOvcrnOrA AkcynOIOS Oh AlA1nOlS
From tho St. Louis mo Republican, May 20
John Reynolds, formerly governor of tn
state OF illinois, lied somewhat suddenl
at bis residence in Belleville on the night o
the Sth inst. He was on the streets the pre-
cedlng.. Saturday, but had for some time beer
growing feeble from the infrmities of age.
The intimate Identification of Gov Key
nolds with the rise and progress Of. Illinois
together with the numerous official stations
he has held, renders full biography almos;
q ANONYMOUS with history of the state. In
a newspaper sketch only the leading features
of his career can be presented. ,i Gs2 T.
John Reynolds was born In Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania, Feb. 26th, 1888. His
parents were natives of Ireland, from which
country they mmigTa.ed to the United States,
landing at Philadelphia in 1855, They re-
moved to Tennessee when the son was six
months old, and settled no. far from the pres
ent site of Knoxville. The parents were in
moderate circumstances, and as the subject
Of this notice grew mp he early became Injured
| to life of labor on the farm. He was
| twelve years old when his parents and six
| children left Tennessee and removed to Kas-
kaskia, Illinois. N
The territory of Illinois at that day was
almost savage wilderness. The French
creoles numbered about twelve hundred, and
the Americans eight hundred or a thousand,
and the entire French population was com
prised within the villages of kaskaskia,
Prairie du Roche, Cahokia, Prsirie du Pont
and some few hamlets besides. In the ccun-
ty (lsandolph) there was not single school
house or school % --F p
As Reynclds reached mans estate he be-
came passionately found of sporting. Horse
racing and foot-racing were among his favor
ite amusements. 1t is recorded that the FIRST
foot race he ever ran Tor a wager was with
Hon. John Scott, of St. Gensvieve, in the
summer of leOS. Reynolds commenced 60
ing to school in kaskaskia in 1905, attending
during part of the winters and on ''wet DAYS
In 1907 he went to school near BellcTile,
where he studied surveying and navigation
in addition to the conmoner branches.-
About TIE same time his father removed 20
the Goshen settlement, three or four miles
southwest of Edwardsyille. At twenty years,
young Reynolds was sent to college at Knox
vile, under the care and patronage of his
Uncle and there he studied Latin, the scie.-
ces and literature.
In October, 1910, Reynolds began the study
of law in Knoxville which, with some inter.
ruption on account Of impaired health, he
continued until the breaking out of the war
with Great Britain in 1912, when he joined
a company Of scouts As a private, and passed
through some exciting scenes in the campaign
against the Illinois Indian. In March, 1913.
Capt. VIM. D. Whit.side organized his Uni
ted States ranging company, and IN it Rey-
nolds with his three brothers enlisted pri-
Yates. II was his services in this company
that gave him the SoajTigItet OF :" tie Old
ranger
afcr the campaign war over, in 1914, Reg
nolds established a law office in Cahokia. In
1919 he married i widow lady ir Csaekia,
native of that place. and lived happily "iIh
her till she died il l 81
In lSlS the state government OF Illinois
was organized and Reynolds was elected by
the general assembly one cf thc associate jus
tices of the supreme court. After he left the
bench he again applied himself closely to law
practice In 1926 he WAS elected TO the leg
islature, and in 1923 was reelected, and was
chairman Of q joint committee to revise the
laws. His services in tn .se two sessions IN
duced his democratic friends TO pre- ent his
name for governor of tic state, to which Office
he was elected in 1880. 1t was during his
administration that the famous BLACK Hawk
war occurred, "psrt Of which he was, and no
uncomfortable part. About this timo nulliti-
cation in South Carolina was attracting pull
lie not ce. and Gov Reynolds pre- ete1ted tie
subject 10 Tie legislature in his second mes-
sage, strongly dlscountenaneing the danger
GUS doctrine and stigrnatIzing It as treaSon-
able.
In the spring OF le2i the governor offered
as u candidate for congress and was elected
for a term of three years, thus relieving an
Endorsement OF his course as executive OF the
state. Thus Gov Il. entered the fonse OF
representatives during the " panic session,
81, rfl Int tod Sf.4,.
and French spoliatious were the absorbing
topics of tie day. Reynolds was the author
OF resolution making the elrction of officers
OF the house rioa roce, and the rstIspeech he
made in congress was in advocacy OF thu
change. Tts resolution was adopted aud
the rule has never been altered. The gov
ernor was in congress seven years, and was
considered, after Col. Richard NJ Johnson,
anon. the hardest working members Of that
body He was scarcely absent single day,
either by sickness or otherwise, and the jour
nails show that he rarely missed vote during
that long period of servico. While IN Wash
fnrton he married second wife who, we be-
lieye, is still living, though afilicte ed with a
painful and rarely curable disease. The gov
ernor's last contest for congress was made
with John Hogan, then citizen of Illinois,
but now the well-known representative elect
from the first Missouri district
The Illinois legislature of 1888 9 authoriz-
ed a loan of four millions to prosecute the
work on the Illinois and Michiganeanal, and
governor Carlin appointed Reynolds commits
sioner to negotiate the loan in conjunction
With Hon. Richard NJ. Young While in
Europe the governor visited London, Paris,
Brussels, and other famed places, remaining
during the summer.
In 1916 The governor was elected from st.
CLAIR county member of the general assem-
bly. and again in 1852. At the latter session
he was elected speaker by acclamation.-
About the year 1916 or 1S4S he published
what he called th Pioneer History OF Illinois.
He afterwards printed pamphlet known as
"John Kelly" In the fall OF 1858 he travel
ed for information to the eastern cities by the
Falls of Niagara, and returned hy the Ohio
river. He printed work containing sketches
Of travel an u "Glance at the Cryital Palace"
embracing quantity of statistical iniorma-
ton. In 1855 he published volume OF SIX
hundred pages, historical and autobiography
cal, entitled, "My Life and Times. He was
for long time owner ola press and printing
office IN Belleyille, and at one time cond,ct-
ed daily paper there called the f'eiieTiiie,
Eagle. a9a|
Gov. Reynolds was very fond of writing
tor the newspapers and corresponding with
public men. His style was not always rhet-
or ical sometimes not even matical, and
frequently his topics were trite yet he had
a large fund of interesting information:
knew the history of Illinois and the west thor
ouphly and his contributions TO history are
varied and valuable. In his best days he
could be very entertaining to an audience
fro N the stump. He rarely lest bis temper,
and was exceedingly adroit in eluding tough
question, or perplexing point, by sally OF
wit, which quality he possessed in 20 ordinary
degree.