Illinois. Governor (1893-1897 : Altgeld)

John Peter Altgeld,(1847-1902), Democratic Governor of Illinois (1893-1897), was born in Germany on Dec. 20, 1847. After his family moved to Ohio, Altgeld enlisted in 164th Ohio Infantry (1863). Following the war, Altgeld held a variety of jobs: teacher, railroad section hand, lawyer and Procesutin Attorney for Andrew Co., Mo. (1874-1878). In 1877, he married Emma Ford and they moved to Chicago (1878). He ran unsuccessfully for Congress (1884); served on the Superior Court of Cook County (1886-1891) before being elected Governor in 1892. When elected Altgeld became the first foreign bornGovernor and the first Democrat elected since 1852. His term was marked by his pardon of the Haymarket rioters and his prominent role at the 1896 Democratic National Convention. Altgeld was defeated in his re-election bid by John R. Tanner. His death occurred in Joliet, Ill. on March 12, 1902, with burial in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery.

From the description of John Peter Altgeld correspondence, 1893-1897. (Illinois State Archive). WorldCat record id: 35766808