Edward Coles was born Dec. 15, 1786 in Albemarle Co., Va. He was educated at Hampton Sidney College and the College of William and Mary. From 1810 to 1816, he was the private secretary to President James Madison. Madison sent Coles to Russia in 1816 as a special messager on a diplomatic mission. Coles had visited Illinois in 1815, and he made another visit in 1818, before being appointed Register of the Land Office at Edwardsville in April 1819.
On the way to Illinois to assume this office, Coles freed his slaves. This act would become important when Coles was elected Illinois governor in 1822, because during his term of office, an attempt was made to amend the state constitution and make Illinois a slave state. Despite having owned slaves himself, Coles worked with the anti-slavery party and helped keep Illinois a free state. During Coles' term of office, a State House was built in Vandalia, the new state capital. Coles also wrote a history of the Ordinance of 1787, which was published during his term as Governor. In 1833, he moved to Philadelphia where he married Sally Logan Roberts and resided there until his death on July 7, 1868.
From the description of Edward Coles correspondence, 1822-1826. (Illinois State Archive). WorldCat record id: 35661204
