page_title: Richard J. Oglesby
section_title: Illinois politics
hierarchical_section_title: Richard J. Oglesby / Illinois politics
caption_attribution_description: English: Governor Oglesby Mansion on William Street in Decatur, Illinois. Built in 1874, lived in by three-time governor of Illinois and Civil War major general Richard J. Oglesby.
context_page_description: Richard James Oglesby was an American soldier and Republican politician from Illinois. 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, and would serve three non-consecutive terms in that office. He also served as a United States Senator from Illinois from 1873 to 1879.
  The town of Oglesby, Illinois, is named in his honor.
context_section_description: Oglesby was elected by a large majority and served as the Governor of Illinois between 1865 and 1869. During his tenure as governor, he advocated improving the quality of care of the mentally ill and for other groups of disabled citizens. He signed legislation expanding the State Hospital system from one campus to three. After his term ended, he practiced law until 1872, when he agreed to a scheme in which Oglesby ran again for governor, but turned the office over to the lieutenant governor immediately after inauguration in return for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He served as a Senator from 1873 until 1879. In 1884, he was reelected governor for a third time, becoming the first man in Illinois history to serve three times as governor. At the end of his third term as governor, he tried unsuccessfully to be reelected to his Senate seat. He spent his remaining years in retirement and died at his "Oglehurst" estate in Elkhart, Illinois. He is buried there in Elkhart Cemetery.  There is a statue of Oglesby in Lincoln Park, Chicago.
  His son, John G. Oglesby, was a two time Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
caption: Oglesby Mansion on William Street in Decatur, Illinois where Oglesby and his wife Emma lived from 1874 to 1882
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