Lt. Gov. Alexander M. Jenkins

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5568352

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Jenkins_(politician)

Alexander Jenkins (1802 – 1864) was an American politician. Between 1834 and 1836 he served as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.

Life

The exact dates of his birth and death are not available in the sources. He lived in Jackson County in Illinois and must have studied law because by the time of his death he served as Circuit Judge in Cairo, Illinois. In his younger years he participated as captain of a volunteer company in the Indian Wars. He joined the Democratic Party and in 1834 he was elected to the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. He served in this position between 5 December 1834 and 9 December 1836 when he resigned. In this function he was the deputy of Governor Joseph Duncan. According to the state constitution he was replaced by the president of the Illinois Senate, William Davidson, who completed his term as acting Lieutenant Governor until 7 December 1838. In 1837 and 1838 Jenkins was a Member of the Illinois Democratic State Committee and in 1847 he was a delegate to the Illinois state constitutional convention from Jackson County. He also served as President of the Illinois Central Railroad.

Alexander M. Jenkins was born in 1802 and came to the area with his sister in 1817. He married Mary Brush, Daniel Harmon Brush’s older sister. His sister, Elizabeth Jenkins, married Dr. John Logan, and they were the parents of the famous General John A. Logan. Jenkins was a successful attorney and had a keen interest in political affairs. In 1834, he was elected as Lieutenant-Governor of Illinois. The Governor, at that time, was Joseph Duncan who also resided in Jackson County. It was during the Duncan-Jenkins administration that the state capitol was moved from Vandalia to Springfield. Jenkins was also the first president of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. He died in 1864.

• http://explorecarbondale.com/node/1537 Alexander M. JENKINS was a carpenter of Brownsville and helped build many of the houses. He was Representative in the General Assembly in 1830 and again 1832 when he was elected Speaker of the House. He was Lieutenant Governor form 1834 to 1836, was the leader in organizing the Illinois Central Railroad Company and was a member of the convention that gave us the Constitution of 1848. It is worthy of note that he had a sister, Polly Ann GLENN, who lived and died at Brownsville and her grave in the old cemetery is a grave stone carved by his own hands, dated January 6th, 1833.
• http://genealogytrails.com/ill/jackson/hxbrownsville.htm

    John Reynolds, The Pioneer History of Illinois (Chicago: Fergus Printing C o., 1887), 388:

   Alexander M. Jenkins,* who was partially raised in Southern Illinoi s, is a talented and conspicuous citizen. Jenkins, like most of the pione ers, had no opportunity of an early education; but in after-days, he impro ved himself, so that he is at this time not only a good scholar but an int elligent and well-read man. He was when a youth compelled to work on h is own hoof for the means to obtain an education, and succeeded wel l. He has been elected many terms to the general assembly of the State, a nd commanded a company from Jackson County in the Black Hawk war. In 183 4, he was elected lieutenant-governor of the State. He was appointed rece iver of public money in the land office at Edwardsville and resigned th at office. For some years before, he had been merchandising and afterwa rd he studied law and commenced the practice in the southern counties of I llinois. He was elected a member from Jackson County of the convention th at formed the new constitution in 1847, and is at this time a practicing l awyer.

   *Mr. Jenkins was elected to the legislature to represent Jackson Coun ty in 1832-4, at the expiration of which term he was elected lieutenant-go vernor, hold that position until his resignation, which occurred in 183 6, to accept the position of president of the first Illinois-Central Railr oad Company, chartered January 16, 1836. When the state adopted its ill-f ated system of public improvements, February 27, 1837, the surrender of th is charter was demanded, and although the company had already expended con siderable money and Mr. Jenkins given much time toward the preliminary arr angements, necessary before the building of the road should be begun, t he charter was cheerfully surrendered. After the State had expended ov er one million dollars on this road it was abandoned, and on March 6, 184 3, the State, as an act of justice, returned the franchise to the represen tatives of the old company. The Cairo City-and-Canal Company reincorporat ing them for this particular purpose as the Great-Western Railway Compan y. A failure to secure the passage of a preemption grant in congress, a nd the grant at a later day, of a large quantity of land to the State in a id of the building of this road, resulted in the incorporation of a new co mpany (February 10, 1851), that finally completed the road.

   Mr. Jenkins was elected judge of the third judicial circuit in 185 9, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of W. K. Parrish, and w as reelected at the close of his term in 1861. He “died in the harness ”, before the expiration of his official term, February 13, 1864.

   Newton Bateman and Paul Selby, Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and H istory of Champaign County, Volume I (Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co., 190 5) 304:

   JENKINS, Alexander M., Lieutenant-Governor (1834-36), came to Illino is in his youth and located in Jackson County, being for a time a reside nt of Brownsville, the first county-seat of Jackson County, where he was e ngaged in trade. Later he studied law and became eminent in his professi on in Southern Illinois. In 1830, Mr. Jenkins was elected Representati ve in the Seventh General Assembly, was re-elected in 1832, serving duri ng his second term as Speaker of the House, and took part the latter ye ar in the Black Hawk War as Captain of a company. In 1834 Mr. Jenkins w as elected Lieutenant-Governor at the same time with Governor Duncan, thou gh on an opposing ticket, but resigned, in 1836, to become President of t he first Illinois Central Railroad Company, which was chartered that yea r. The charter of the road was surrendered in 1837, when the state h ad in contemplation the policy of building a system of roads at its own ex pense. For a time he was Receiver of Public Moneys in the Land Offi ce at Edwardsville, and, in 1847, was elected to the State Constitution al Convention of that year. Other positions held by him include that of J ustice of the Circuit Court for the Third Judicial Circuit, to which he w as elected in 1859, and re-elected in 1861, but died in office, February 1 3, 1864. Mr. Jenkins was an uncle of General John A. Logan, who read l aw with him after his return from the Mexican War.

   John McMurray Lansden, History of the City of Cairo, Illinois (Chicag o: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.,1910), 238:

   Alexander M. Jenkins. – I have delayed speaking of Judge Alexander M. J enkins, in the hope of obtaining answers to my letters to a number of pers ons for information concerning him, but for some reason the letters se em to have been neglected, and hence the appearance here of what I have re lating to this somewhat noted man, who held our circuit court here duri ng the years 1859-1863. The following very brief account of him I have ta ken from the “Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois”:

   Alexander M. Jenkins, Lieutenant Governor (1834-1836), came to Illino is in his youth and located in Jackson County, being for a time a reside nt of Brownsville, the first county seat of Jackson County, where he was e ngaged in trade. Later he studied law and became eminent in his professi on in southern Illinois. In 1830, Mr. Jenkins was elected representati ve in the seventh general assembly; was re-elected in 1832, serving duri ng his second term as speaker of the house; and took part the latter ye ar in the Black Hawk War as captain of a company. In 1834, Mr. Jenkins w as elected lieutenant governor at the same time with Governor Duncan, thou gh on an opposing ticket, but resigned, in 1836, to become President of t he first Illinois Central Railroad Company, which was chartered that yea r. The carter of the road was surrendered in 1837, when the stat had in c ontemplation the policy of building a system of roads at its own expens e. For a time he was Receiver of Public Moneys in the Land Office at Edwa rdsville, and in 1847, was elected to the State Constitutional Conventi on of that year. Other positions held by him include that of Justice of t he circut [sic] court for the third judicial circuit, to which he was elec ted in 1859, and re-elected in 1861, but died in office February 13, 186 4. Mr. Jenkins was the uncle of General John A. Logan, who read law wi th him after his return from the Mexican War.

I may here say that it has been stated a number of times that Judge Jen kins, as far back as 1832 or 1833, when in our state legislature, propos ed the survey of a line for a railroad from the mouth of the Ohio Riv er to Peru on the Illinois River. I have tried very hard to verify this s tatement or claim but have been unable to do so. It is said that the reco rds of the proceedings of the legislature of that early day are so incompl ete or so lack fullness that the mere absence of anything therein relati ng to such action on his part would not at all justify the conclusion th at no such action had been taken.

We have already seen how Jenkins and Holbrook were associated togeth er in 1836 and subsequent years in efforts to build a city here and an Ill inois Central Railroad. We know very little of their mutual dealing eith er as individuals or as representatives of their companies; but our circu it court records here show that Joel Manning, as assignee of Jenkins, on t he 15th day of November, 1854, sued Darius B. Holbrook on a promissory no te under seal in the words and figures following:

   “Alton, Ill., May 26, 1837. For value received, I promise to pay to the order of Alexander M. Jenki ns, the sum of Twenty Thousand Dollars in three years from date, at the Branch of the State Bank of Illinois at Alton.

  "$20,000.D. B. Holbrook (Seal)”

On the back of the note is the following: “Received city of N. York Jun e, 1839, one hundred and fifty ($150) on the within note;” and also the fo llowing endorsement: “For value received of him I hereby make over and ass ign and transfer the within note to Joel Manning, May 20th, 1840. A. M. J enkins.” On the back of the summons is the following return: “Served by r eading the same to D. B. Holbrook on the 23rd day of November, 184 5. A W. Anderson, Sheriff, Alex., Ill.” Judgment was recovered on this note for the amount due thereon; a nd it seems there was also a foreclosure suit based on a mortgage giv en to secure the note, and the mortgaged property sold and the procee ds of the sale credited on the note. This entry of credit consists of fo ur or five lines and seems to be in the handwriting of Col. S. Staats Tayl or; but he was not here at that early day, and the entry seems to have be en made a long time ago.

When the writer came to Cairo many years ago he frequently heard Jud ge Jenkins spoken of as a very able man. The Hon. Monroe C. Crawfor d, of Jonesboro, I am sure, would speak in the highest terms of Judge Jenk ins, both as to his excellency as a man and his great ability as a judge. Arthur Charles Cole, The Constitutional Debates of 1847 (Springfield, I L: Illinois State Historical Library, 1919), 965:

Jenkins, Alexander M.: born 1802 (1803) in South Carolina; 1817, ca me to Jackson County, Illinois; learned trade of carpenter; served as cons table; 1830-1834, representative in General Assembly; 1832-1834, speake r; 1832, captain in Black Hawk War; 1834-1836, lieutenant-governor; 183 6, president of first Illinois Central Railroad Company; 1836-1838, receiv er of public moneys in land office at Edwardsville; studied law during res idence at Edwardsville and practiced at Murphysboro; 1847, member of Const itutional Convention; 1855, edited Jackson Democrat; 1855, established Mur physboro Sentinel; August 27, 1859 – February 13, 1864, circuit judge of T hird Judicial Circuit; died in office, February 13, 1864; in politics a De mocrat. Bateman and Selby, Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, 304; Bl ue Book of Illinois, 1913-1914, pp. 139, 214, 348-349; Scott, Newspapers a nd Periodicals of Illinois, 256-257; History of Jackson County, 14, 17, 2 2, 57; History of Madison County, 186; Hollingsworth, A List of the Member s.

Will W. Husband, Old Brownsville Days: An Historic Sketch of Early Tim es in Jackson County (1934?): 13: Alexander Jenkins came to Brownsville with his father in 1817 and learn ed carpentry. One of his sisters, Diza, married Joel Manning, county clerk; another sister married Doctor Logan and became the mother of the famo us General John A. Logan. Alexander Jenkins was elected lieutenant-govern or in 1834. Thus, the governor and lieutenant-governor were citizens of Jackson county. It was during the Duncan-Jenkins administration the state capital was moved from Vandalia to Springfield.

• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=clore&id=...