| Richard J. Oglesby | |
| Order: | 14th |
| Office: | Governor of Illinois |
| Term Start: | January 16, 1865 |
| Term End: | January 11, 1869 |
| Lieutenant: | William Bross |
| Predecessor: | Richard Yates |
| Successor: | John M. Palmer |
| Term Start2: | January 13, 1873 |
| Term End2: | January 23, 1873 |
| Lieutenant2: | John Lourie Beveridge |
| Predecessor2: | John M. Palmer |
| Successor2: | John Lourie Beveridge |
| Term Start3: | January 30, 1885 |
| Term End3: | January 14, 1889 |
| Lieutenant3: | John Smith |
| Predecessor3: | John Marshall Hamilton |
| Successor3: | Joseph W. Fifer |
| Jr/Sr4: | United States Senator |
| State4: | Illinois |
| Term Start4: | March 4, 1873 |
| Term End4: | March 3, 1879 |
| Predecessor4: | Lyman Trumbull |
| Successor4: | John A. Logan |
| Office5: | Member of the Illinois Senate |
| Term5: | 1860 |
| Birth Name: | Richard James Oglesby |
| Birth Date: | July 25, 1824 |
| Birth Place: | Oldham County, Kentucky |
| Death Place: | Elkhart, Illinois |
| Party: | Republican |
| Signature: | Richard James Oglesby Signature.svg |
| Alma Mater: | University of Louisville |
| Allegiance: | United States |
| Branch: | United States Army Union Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1846–1847 1861–1864 |
| Rank: | Major General |
| Battles: | Mexican–American War, American Civil War |
Richard James Oglesby (July 25, 1824April 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.
Oglesby was born in Floydsburg, Oldham County, Kentucky.[4] He was orphaned and moved to live with his uncle in Decatur, Illinois in 1836, where he worked as a farmhand and carpenter.[5]
With the outbreak of the Mexican–American War, he enlisted as a 1st Lieutenant in Company C, 4th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment [6] taking part in the battles of Veracruz and Cerro Gordo "where his regiment almost captured Mexican President General Santa Anna, but they had to settle for his cork leg, carriage and $20,000 in gold".[7]
He might have participated in what may have been the first baseball game ever played outside the U.S., at the end of April 1847, a few days after the Battle of Cerro Gordo, "with the wooden leg captured (by the Fourth Illinois regiment) from General Santa Anna".[8]
He studied at Louisville Law School in 1848, but traveled to California for the gold rush in 1849, where he tried his hand at gold mining. After two years of traveling in Europe, he returned to Illinois in 1851[9] Oglesby was one of the earliest advocates for Abraham Lincoln's nomination as the 1860 presidential candidate of the Republican Party; it may have been he who applied the moniker "Railsplitter" to Lincoln.
At the start of the Civil War, Oglesby was appointed colonel of the 8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was a well-liked commander, receiving the moniker "Uncle Dick" from his troops. He commanded his brigade at the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson and soon after was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. He commanded troops during the Siege of Corinth. Oglesby sustained severe injuries in the Battle of Corinth in 1862 and was elevated to the status of major general that same year.[10]
After a brief period of recovery, Oglesby resumed military service in 1863. However, at the request of Abraham Lincoln, he abandoned his commission in 1864, successfully running for Illinois governor on the Republican ticket.
He was present in the room at the Petersen House when President Abraham Lincoln died on April 15, 1865.[11]
Oglesby first served as governor of Illinois from 1865 to 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 also signed legislation expanding the State Hospital system from one campus to three.[12] 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 Richard J. Oglesby in Lincoln Park, Chicago.
His son, John G. Oglesby, was a two time Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.