James W. Stephenson
James W. Stephenson | |
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Illinois State Senator (1834) (1838)Democratic nominee for Governor of Illinois |
James W. Stephenson (1806–August 1838) was an American
Early life
James W. Stephenson was born in Virginia in 1806, the oldest son of Benjamin Stephenson and his wife, Lucy Swearingen, and was named in honor of his grandfather and uncle.[1] The Stephenson family came to Edwardsville from Kaskaskia in 1816, and in 1820 the family moved into the Benjamin Stephenson House in Edwardsville.[1][2]
On January 29, 1825, while at the Wiggins Hotel in lower town, area resident Daniel D. Smith was stabbed to death following an argument with James Stephenson, James Henry and Palemon Winchester. Smith was stabbed in the neck; as those present attended to him, he uttered "Winchester" and died.
Winchester was the only defendant to face trial on the charges. Winchester's lawyer argued that Smith was guilty of verbal assault against the defendant, and Winchester was found not guilty.[1] The verdict was reported in The Spectator on March 22, 1825.[4] In 1828 Stephenson left Edwardsville, and moved to Galena in Jo Daviess County where he made his home for much of the rest of his life.[1]
Military service
Background
As a consequence of an 1804 treaty between the
Black Hawk War
As an officer in the
Stephenson fought in battles during the war as well as playing a role in the prelude and aftermath of some of the fighting. At the June 18, 1832
In the week preceding another of the war's major turning points, the June 16 Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Stephenson helped Colonel Henry Dodge and his men bury the victims of the St. Vrain massacre.[14] Stephenson continued on to Galena after assisting in this task and did not accompany Dodge to Horseshoe Bend.[14]
Political career
Stephenson was well-connected, and received letters from prominent people, including
In December 1837, at the first "regularly constituted" Illinois state
Older accounts of Stephenson's withdrawal from the race give differing reasons for his departure. Former Democratic Illinois Governor Thomas Ford's 1854 A History of Illinois stated that Stephenson's reason for withdrawing from the election was "on account of sickness."[18] James Washington Sheahan wrote in his 1860 biography of Stephen A. Douglas that Stephenson's early exit from the election was due to being "charged with being a defaulter."[16] John Moses' 1,316-page work, Illinois, Historical and Statistical (1889), characterized the accusations against Stephenson as "serious charges."[15]
Death
Less than a week after Carlin was elected governor of Illinois, Stephenson died of tuberculosis in August 1838.[2] He died at his home in Galena, at the age of 32. He was buried the day of his death with military honors and left behind his wife, Ellen, and two children Lucy and Kyle.[2]
Notes
- ^ a b c d Henry. "Inside the Stephenson House - July 8, 2002 Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine". Henry's Newsletter, no. 11. Friends of Col. Benjamin Stephenson House. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g Henry. "Inside the Stephenson House - May 22, 2002 Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine". Henry's Newsletter, no. 11. Friends of Col. Benjamin Stephenson House. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Belschner, Julie. "'No one was ever there' So what is behind the footsteps and other strange noises at the Stephenson House in Edwardsville? Archived 2016-06-23 at the Wayback Machine" Edwardsville Journal, (Edwardsville, Illinois), October 23, 2003. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c Henry. "Inside the Stephenson House - November 14, 2002 Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine". Henry's Newsletter, no. 23, Friends of Col. Benjamin Stephenson House. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Lewis, James. "The Black Hawk War of 1832 Archived 2009-08-15 at the Wayback Machine," Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, Northern Illinois University. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
- ^ "May 14: Black Hawk's Victory at the Battle of Stillman's Run Archived 2007-08-14 at the Wayback Machine," Historic Diaries: The Black Hawk War, Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
- ^ a b Armstrong, Perry A. The Sauks and the Black Hawk War. H. W. Rokker: 1887, p. 494. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ Trask, pp. 220-221.
- ^ Carter, Greg. "Captain Stephenson's Fight". Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), May 2004, Old Lead Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2007. - ^ "James Stephenson Describes the Battle at Yellow Creek Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, Historic Diaries: The Black Hawk War, Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. State Historical Society of Wisconsin: 1908, p. 280. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ Trask, p. 223.
- ^ Braun, Robert A. "Black Hawks War April 5 - August 2, 1832: A Chronology". Archived from the original on August 12, 2006. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), September 2001, Old Lead Historical Society, p. 2. Retrieved August 15, 2007. - ^ a b Stevens, Frank. The Black Hawk War Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine, Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, Northern Illinois University. Originally published: 1903, Section 181-182, Chapter XXV, Battle of Pecatonica. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Moses, John. Illinois, Historical and Statistical. Fergus Printing Company: 1889, p. 424. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Sheahan, James Washington. The Life of Stephen A. Douglas. Harper & Brothers: 1860, p. 38. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ ISBN 0252002032). Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- . Moore, Anderson & Co: 1854, p. 203. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
References
- ISBN 0805077588).