William H. Bissell

William H. Bissell, 1811-1860, the eleventh governor of Illinois, lived in this vicinity before he was thirty and served as a pioneer physician, teacher, and lawyer. After serving as a colonel in the Mexican War, he was elected as a Democrat to the state legislature and became speaker of the house. He became a member of Congress in 1852, was elected the first Republican governor of Illinois in 1856, and died in office in 1860.

Illinois · United States