John C. Edwards
John C. Edwards | |
|---|---|
Secretary of State of Missouri | |
| In office 1830–1835 | |
| Governor | John Miller Daniel Dunklin |
| Preceded by | Priestly H. McBride |
| Succeeded by | Peter Garland Glover |
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives | |
| In office 1836 | |
| 2nd Mayor of Stockton, California | |
| In office 1851–1852 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Purdy |
| Succeeded by | William Baker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 24, 1804 Frankfort, Kentucky |
| Died | October 14, 1888 (aged 84) Stockton, California |
| Resting place | Stockton Rural cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Emma Jeanne Catherine Richard |
| Children | Eleven Emma Edwards Green |
| Alma mater | Black's College |
| Profession | Attorney |
John Cummins Edwards (June 24, 1804 – October 14, 1888) was a Democratic politician from the state of Missouri. He served as a member of the 27th United States Congress as well as the 9th Governor of Missouri.
Early life
John Cummins Edwards was born on June 24, 1804 or 1806 (Conflicting sources list each) in Frankfort, Kentucky[1][2] to parents John and Sarah (Cummins) Edwards. He was raised in the Murfreesboro, Tennessee area and completed preparatory education at Black's College in Kentucky.[3] He studied law at Dr Henderson's Classic School in Rutherford County, Tennessee and further studied under the Rutherford County states attorney before being admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1825.[4]
Career
After working as an attorney in his native Murfreesboro for three years, John Edwards moved to Missouri in 1828, establishing a law practice in
John Edwards entered national politics in 1841 after being elected to the
As Governor
John C. Edwards oversaw a time of great change and expansion while Missouri Governor. During his tenure nineteen new counties were created in the state. Technology advanced when the telegraph system reached St. Louis and the chartering of the states first railroad, the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad happened. Edwards was a wartime governor as well. With the nation embroiled in the Mexican–American War, Edwards oversaw the creation of the Missouri Mounted Volunteers under Alexander William Doniphan, a unit that served with distinction in the conflict.[1][3] Another war, the Honey War, was finally settled under Governor Edwards leadership as Missouri agreed to arbitration of the border dispute with Iowa. Among his other accomplishments were creation of the Missouri state hospital for the mentally ill in Fulton, a new tax system that took the state from a deficit to a surplus, and approval of a tax to establish a free normal school at the University of Missouri.[3]
Governor Edwards time in power was not free of disappointments however. The Missouri legislature, considering his expenses excessive, refused to reimburse him for renovations and upkeep of the Governors mansion. Further, he was chastised for traveling to
Later life
John Edwards didn't stay in Missouri long after leaving office. Within months he had organized a stock train headed for the California gold fields. He became a prosperous rancher and merchant after settling in the Stockton area. Edwards would return briefly to politics in 1851, being elected Stockton's mayor.[3] A bachelor to this point, Edwards finally married in 1854. He and his wife, the former Emma Jeanne Catherine Richard of New Orleans, would parent eleven children. John Cummins Edwards died on either September 17 or October 14, 1888 (again, sources list conflicting dates)[1][2] in Stockton, California and is buried in the Rural Cemetery there.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Christensen, Lawrence O., Dictionary of Missouri Biography, University of Missouri Press, 1999, pp. 275–276
- ^ a b c d "Edwards Congressional biography". United States Congress. 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Governor Edwards" (PDF). Missouri Secretary of State office. August 5, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ "Mo. Governor John C. Edwards". National Governors Association. 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ The Bench and Bar of St. Louis, Kansas City, Jefferson City, and Other Missouri Cities (1884), p. 10.
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