Ninian Edwards facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ninian Edwards
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| 3rd Governor of Illinois | |
| In office December 6, 1826 – December 6, 1830 |
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| Lieutenant | William Kinney |
| Preceded by | Edward Coles |
| Succeeded by | John Reynolds |
| United States Senator from Illinois |
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| In office December 3, 1818 – March 4, 1824 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | John McLean |
| Governor of Illinois Territory | |
| In office June 11, 1809 – October 6, 1818 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished Shadrach Bond as Governor of Illinois |
| Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals | |
| In office 1806–1809 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Todd |
| Succeeded by | John Boyle |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
| In office 1794 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | March 17, 1775 Montgomery County, Maryland, British America |
| Died | July 20, 1833 (aged 58) Belleville, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Elvira Lane |
| Children | Ninian, Albert, Benjamin, Julia |
| Relatives | Cyrus Edwards (brother) |
| Signature |  |
Ninian Edwards (March 17, 1775 – July 20, 1833) was an important political leader in the early days of Illinois. He was the first and only governor of the Illinois Territory from 1809 to 1818. After Illinois became a state, he served as one of its first two U.S. Senators from 1818 to 1824. Later, he became the third Governor of Illinois from 1826 to 1830. Edwards was a key figure in Illinois politics, leading one of the main groups during the frontier era.
Born in Maryland, Edwards started his political career in Kentucky. There, he worked as a lawmaker and a judge. He became the Chief Justice of Kentucky's highest court in 1808. In 1809, U.S. President James Madison chose him to lead the new Illinois Territory. He served three terms, helping the territory become a state in 1818. After Illinois became a state, its new government elected Edwards to the U.S. Senate. Later, he won the election to become Governor of Illinois in 1826. During his time as governor, he dealt with issues like state bank rules and the removal of Native American tribes. Edwards returned to private life in 1830 and passed away two years later.
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Early Life and Career
Ninian Edwards was born in 1775 in Montgomery County, Maryland. His family was well-known. His father, Benjamin Edwards, was also a politician. Ninian was taught by private tutors, including William Wirt, who later became a U.S. Attorney General. He studied at Dickinson College but left to study law.
In 1794, at age 19, Edwards moved to Nelson County, Kentucky. He managed family land and quickly showed leadership skills. He was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives even before he was old enough to vote. In Kentucky, he became a judge and then the chief justice of the state's highest court. He married Elvira Lane in 1803.
Edwards was known for being well-educated and a natural leader. He was part of a group of important men who shaped politics in Kentucky and later in Illinois.
Leading the Illinois Territory
The Illinois Territory was created in 1809. It included what are now the states of Wisconsin and Illinois, plus parts of Minnesota and Michigan. Most of the people lived in the southern part of the territory. President James Madison appointed Edwards as governor. At 34, Ninian Edwards was the youngest person to ever govern Illinois.
Edwards moved to a farm he called Elvirade, named after his wife. He brought enslaved people with him. Even though the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 had made slavery illegal in the territory, a law from 1803 allowed people to be brought in "under contract to serve." This meant that slavery continued in Illinois for many years, often called "indentured servitude." Edwards, like many early Illinois leaders, owned enslaved people. He sometimes rented them out for work to earn extra money.
Edwards became governor on June 11, 1809. He soon realized that giving out government jobs created different political groups. In Illinois, these groups formed around people's personalities and connections, not just political parties. Two main groups grew around Edwards and Judge Jesse B. Thomas. These groups shaped Illinois politics for many years.
Expanding Democracy
During his time as governor, Edwards worked to give more power to the people of the Illinois Territory. Before 1812, he had a lot of power to appoint local officials. But he tried to listen to what local people wanted when making choices.
In 1812, Edwards convinced Congress to change a rule about voting. Before, only landowners could vote, which meant very few people in Illinois could. Edwards pushed for universal white male suffrage, meaning all white men could vote. This made Illinois the most democratic U.S. territory at the time. In April, people voted to have their own legislature and a representative in Congress. This passed, and Shadrach Bond became Illinois' first representative in Washington.
War of 1812 in Illinois
Soon after Edwards became governor, Illinois became a battleground during the War of 1812. Tensions between settlers and Native Americans grew in 1810 and 1811. In June 1811, Governor Edwards ordered forts to be built and called out the local militia (citizen soldiers).
These actions came after violent events. In June 1811, a family was attacked near Pocahontas, Illinois, and a man was killed. Later that month, two locals were attacked near what is now Alton, and one was killed. These events caused fear among frontier families.
Edwards quickly ordered a chain of forts to be built to protect settlements. The most important was Fort Russell, built in 1812. Edwards, as the leader of the militia, spent a lot of time at the fort.
The start of the War of 1812 and the Battle of Fort Dearborn in 1812 made Edwards believe that Native American tribes like the Potawatomi and Kickapoo were planning a big attack. He gathered 350 mounted rangers and volunteers near Edwardsville. He personally led them north to Peoria.
On October 18, 1812, Edwards and his army left Fort Russell. They burned two empty Kickapoo villages along the way. Then, they attacked a Native American village near Peoria Lake. Edwards' army defeated the village, taking supplies and horses. Edwards estimated about 30 Native people were killed, though later estimates were higher.
This campaign burned several villages and caused many deaths. However, it also angered Native American groups who were friendly to the U.S. government. After this, Edwards lost some trust from the U.S. government. But he was reappointed governor two more times and helped negotiate peace treaties in 1815.
Later Territorial Years
During his nine years as governor, Edwards made a lot of money. He invested in farming, land, sawmills, and stores.
Edwards' political disagreements with Jesse B. Thomas continued. Edwards and the legislature criticized the territory's judges for not working enough. Congress eventually supported Edwards and the legislature on this issue.
In 1817, Edwards suggested that Illinois apply to become a state. He wanted a census (a count of the population) first, but the legislature said no. They worried that any delay would let Missouri, a slave state, join the Union first. This might make it harder for Illinois to join as a free state.
In 1818, the legislature passed a bill to end Illinois' "indentured servant" system (which was like slavery). It also wanted to prevent slavery in the future state constitution. Governor Edwards vetoed this bill. He said he had constitutional concerns, but he also owned enslaved people himself.
During Edwards' time as territorial governor, Illinois' population grew a lot. It more than tripled from 12,282 in 1810 to 40,258 in 1818.
U.S. Senate Career
Illinois quickly became a state. Its constitution was finished in August 1818. In October, the first General Assembly met. Ninian Edwards stepped down as territorial governor, and Shadrach Bond became the first state governor. The next day, the legislature chose Edwards as one of Illinois' first two U.S. Senators.
Edwards was re-elected to the Senate in 1819, though it was a close race. Like most members of Congress at the time, he was a Democratic-Republican. He later joined the group that supported John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. Edwards voted for the Missouri Compromise in 1820, which was a law about slavery in new states.
Edwards caused some trouble for himself when he wrote articles attacking U.S. Treasury Secretary William H. Crawford. Edwards claimed Crawford knew a bank in Illinois was failing but didn't remove federal money from it. Edwards couldn't prove his claims. He resigned from the Senate in 1824 to become the first U.S. Minister (like an ambassador) to Mexico. However, he was called back to Washington to explain his accusations. Since he couldn't prove them, he resigned his new job too.
Edwards then moved to Belleville, a town he had once owned land in.
Governor of Illinois
Election of 1826
When Edwards returned to Illinois, his political career seemed to be in trouble. He had lost support in the legislature and with President Adams. Also, supporters of Andrew Jackson were becoming very strong in Illinois.
However, in the 1826 governor's race, Edwards was lucky. There were three candidates, and the Jackson supporters were split between two of them. Edwards focused on Illinois' money problems, blaming his opponents for them. Edwards won the election with almost half of the votes.
Edwards' Time as Governor
Edwards' time as governor saw Illinois grow very quickly. The population nearly tripled again from 1820 to 1830.
His administration faced challenges, especially with the state's struggling Bank of Illinois. The bank had money problems and put the state deeply in debt. In his first speech, Edwards openly criticized bank officials and politicians, accusing them of wrongdoing. This made his relationship with the legislature difficult. They did pass a bank regulation bill, but they also passed a bill to help people in debt, even though Edwards thought the state couldn't afford it.
In 1827, Illinois built its first prison in Alton. That same year, the state received land from the federal government to build the Illinois and Michigan Canal, a waterway that would connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River.
Also in 1827, Edwards sent the Illinois militia to fight in another conflict with Native Americans. This was the Winnebago War, which started in Wisconsin and spread to northern Illinois. Edwards sent the militia, and the show of force convinced the Ho-Chunk tribe to surrender.
After the war, Edwards urged the U.S. government to remove the remaining Native Americans from northern Illinois. He argued that their presence violated the state's rights. The federal government used diplomacy, and in 1829, the Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Ojibwe tribes gave up a large area of land in northern Illinois. The Winnebago tribe also gave up land.
Later Life and Family
Under the 1818 constitution, governors could only serve one term. When Edwards' term ended in December 1830, he went back to private life. He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1832 but lost.
Edwards then focused on helping people with medical care in Belleville, often for free. In 1833, a cholera sickness spread through the area. Edwards stayed to care for his patients, caught the disease, and passed away on July 20. He was later buried in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Edwards' brother, Cyrus Edwards, was also a lawyer and Illinois politician. Three of Edwards' sons and one son-in-law also became involved in politics.
- Ninian Wirt Edwards (1809–1889), named after his father and his father's tutor, served as Illinois Attorney General and Illinois' first Superintendent of Public Instruction. He was married to Elizabeth Porter Todd, who was the sister of Mary Todd Lincoln.
- Albert Gallatin Edwards (1812–1892) worked for the U.S. Treasury under President Abraham Lincoln. He later started a financial company.
- Benjamin S. Edwards (1818–1886) became a successful lawyer and judge in Illinois.
- Ninian Edwards' daughter, Julia Edwards Cook, married Congressman Daniel Pope Cook. Their son, John Pope Cook, was a mayor of Springfield and a general during the American Civil War.
Legacy
Edwards County, Illinois and the city of Edwardsville, Illinois were named after Ninian Edwards during his time as territorial governor. The Edwards Trace, an old pioneer trail in Central Illinois, is also named for him and his actions during the War of 1812.
In recent years, some community members in Edwardsville have called for the removal of Ninian Edwards' statue and the renaming of the plaza where it stood. This is due to his history of owning enslaved people. In 2020, the City Council changed the plaza's name to City Plaza. In 2021, the statue's pedestal was removed.
