Archibald A. Glenn Explained

Archibald Alexander Glenn
Order1:20th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Term Start1:January 8, 1875
Term End1:January 8, 1877
Governor1:John Lourie Beveridge
Predecessor1:John Early
Successor1:Andrew Shuman
Office2:Member of the Illinois Senate
Term2:1870-1872
Birth Date:January 30, 1819
Birth Place:Nicholas County, Kentucky
Death Place:Kansas
Party:Democrat
Profession:Justice of the peace
Spouse:Lavinia Cooper, Catherine Stricker
Residence:Ripley, Illinois

Archibald Alexander Glenn (January 30, 1819 – May 21, 1901) was an American politician from Kentucky. Raised in Indiana, Glenn's father died when he was thirteen and Glenn had to provide for his family. In 1837, he moved to Illinois where he learned the printing trade and became a publisher. He campaigned for Henry Clay in 1844 then became a prominent politician in Brown County, Illinois. He was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1872 and was named its president two years later; this made him the acting Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. After his term, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he held several political positions.

Biography

Archibald Alexander Glenn was born in Nicholas County, Kentucky, on January 30, 1819. When he was three, his family moved north to Indiana. In 1832, Glenn's father died and he was forced to forgo his education work on the family farm. When he was eighteen, Glenn moved to Rushville, Illinois, to learn the printing trade. There, he published the Rushville Whig until 1844. During that year's presidential election, Glenn spent most of his life's earnings campaigning for Henry Clay.[1]

After the election, Glenn moved to Ripley, Illinois, where was named a justice of the peace and served as postmaster. He rose to become clerk of the county court and recorder of deeds. Glenn was a delegate to the Illinois constitutional convention of 1862 and served on the State Board of Equalization of Taxes. He also served for four years as the Brown County superintendent of schools. He was elected to the Illinois Senate as a Democrat in 1872 and served two two-year terms. He was elected President of the Illinois Senate for the second term; this made him the acting Lieutenant Governor of Illinois from 1875 to 1877. He would be the last Democrat to hold the position until 1893.[1]

Once his term as Lieutenant Governor was complete in 1878, Glenn moved to Wichita, Kansas. Glenn specialized in pension law and was elected Police Judge in 1881. He served two terms as city treasurer.[1]

Glenn married Lavinia Cooper on February 13, 1851; they had six children, though only two (William C. and Ella) survived to adulthood. Lavinia died on May 28, 1881, and Glenn later married Catherine Stricker on June 9, 1885. Glenn enjoyed studying math, Latin, and Greek in his free time.[1] The family were member of the Disciples of Christ. Glenn died after an illness on May 21, 1901, and was buried in Ripley Cemetery in Ripley.

Notes and References

  1. News: Judge Glenn Is Ill. Wichita Eagle. Newspapers.com. April 5, 1901. August 6, 2014.