Richard J. Oglesby

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Richard J. Oglesby
c. 1875
14th Governor of Illinois
In office January 16, 1865 – January 11, 1869
Lieutenant	William Bross
Preceded by	Richard Yates
Succeeded by	John M. Palmer
In office January 13, 1873 – January 23, 1873
Lieutenant	John Lourie Beveridge
Preceded by	John M. Palmer
Succeeded by	John Lourie Beveridge
In office January 30, 1885 – January 14, 1889
Lieutenant	John Smith
Preceded by	John Marshall Hamilton
Succeeded by	Joseph W. Fifer
United States Senator from Illinois
In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879
Preceded by	Lyman Trumbull
Succeeded by	John A. Logan
Member of the Illinois Senate
In office 1860
Personal details
Born	Richard James Oglesby (1824-07-25)July 25, 1824 Oldham County, Kentucky
Died	April 24, 1899(1899-04-24) (aged 74) Elkhart, Illinois
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	University of Louisville
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1846–1847 1861–1864
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War, American Civil War

Richard James Oglesby (July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899) was an American soldier and Republican politician from Illinois, who served three non-consecutive terms as Governor of Illinois (from 1865 to 1869, for ten days in 1873, and from 1885 to 1889) and as a United States Senator from Illinois (from 1873 to 1879), and earlier was a member of the Illinois Senate, elected in 1860. The town of Oglesby, Illinois, is named in his honor,^[1] as is an elementary school situated in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood of Chicago's south side.^[2][3]

He served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War of 1846–47, and after the war became a prospector during the California Gold Rush and was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. During the American Civil War, Oglesby volunteered for the Union Army and rose to the rank of major general, serving in the Western Theater; he left the army when he was elected Governor of Illinois in 1864.