William Henry Bissell

William Henry Bissell
11th Governor of Illinois
In office January 12, 1857 – March 18, 1860
Lieutenant	John Wood
Preceded by	Joel Aldrich Matteson
Succeeded by	John Wood
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th district
In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	James L. D. Morrison
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st district
In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853
Preceded by	Robert Smith
Succeeded by	Elihu B. Washburne
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
In office 1840–1842
Personal details
Born	(1811-04-25)April 25, 1811 Hartwick, New York
Died	March 18, 1860(1860-03-18) (aged 48) Springfield, Illinois
Political party	Democratic, Republican
Spouse(s)	Emily Susan Jones, Elizabeth Kane
Profession	Physician, lawyer, politician
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1846–1847
Rank	Colonel
Commands	2nd Illinois Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War Battle of Buena Vista

William Henry Bissell (April 25, 1811 – March 18, 1860) was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1857 until his death. He was one of the first successful Republican Party candidates in the U.S., winning the election of 1856 just two years after the founding of his party. In addition to being the first Republican governor of Illinois, he was also the first Catholic and also the first to die in office.