Illinois. Governor (1834-1838 : Duncan)

Joseph Duncan (1794-1844), Whig governor of Illinois (1834-1842) was born at Paris, Ky. on Feb. 22, 1794. He moved to Illinois in 1818, following service in the War of 1812, for which Congress presented him a sword for his role in the defending Fort Stephenson. Duncan was commissioned a Major General of the Illinois Militia (1823); elected state senator from Jackson County (1824) and served in the U. S. House (1827-1834). While in Washington, D. C., he met Elizabeth Caldwell Smith at a small dinner given by President John Quincy Adams. They were married on May 13, 1828 and returned to Illinois when Duncan resigned his seat to become Governor in 1834. As Governor, Duncan remained interested in education having written the first free Illinois school law in 1825. During Duncan's administration, the State Capital moved to Springfield and important internal improvement legislation was debated. Duncan's re-election bid failed in 1842, and he returned to Jacksonville, Ill. where he died on Jan. 15, 1844.

From the description of Joseph Duncan correspondence, 1834-1838. (Illinois State Archive). WorldCat record id: 35745475