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DICK,
keep close to the people; they are always right,
and will never mislead you," said Abraham
Lincoln to Richard J. Oglesby.
RICHARD J. OGLESBY
Oglesby followed the advice of the man who in
early life was his inspiration, in later life
his friend, his confidante, his chief.
He believed in the people and the people
believed in him. Thrice they named him
their governor, at times when the state needed a
real leader.
"From the breaking out of the Mexican war up
to the last presidential campaign the people of
Illinois have never decided a great public
question without taking 'Uncle Dick' Oglesby
into their confidence," said a writer in 1899.
"Oglesby is a big man, with a big
heart and a big brain, who has always believed
in the people," said his old friend, Colonel A.
C. Babcock. "The Republican party
in Illinois never had a leader who could
influence as many votes as Oglesby, and
it never had a leader who know as little about
machine politics. Oglesby, in fact,
has worked in the blissful belief that such
things as party machines do not exist. He
has always believed that the people nominate and
elect their favorites.
Through all his life Oglesby loved
Decatur, the home of his boyhood days and the
home of much of his later life. Outside of
Lincoln, he has been classed as Macon
county's most distinguished citizen. As
major-general in the United States army, three
times governor of Illinois, a state senator, and
United States senator, he had a record such as
was made by no other local citizen.
Richard J. Oglesby's life was not one
of ease before he finally reached the top.
He traveled a stony path, a path of failures,
heartaches and disappointments. Yet his
discouragements did not daunt him. He
believed that some day he would be a success.
He had to believe in himself. Left an
orphan when a little lad, he lacked the
preparation for life which is the right of any
boy. He learned early that he must make
his own way.
Dick Oglesby's father was Colonel
Jacob Oglesby, a prosperous farmer of
Oldham county, Ky. The father had been a
member of the Kentucky legislature and a colonel
of the militia regiment. Dick was born
July 25, 1824. Everything had gone well
with the family, until in June, 1833, when
father, mother, a son and a daughter fell victim
to a scourge of cholera which ravished their
community. The home was broken up; the
family scattered. Six grief stricken
children, one of them a boy of eight years, were
left. Richard and three sisters were taken
to the home of an uncle.
It had been hard to part with father, mother,
sister and brother, but there were more bitter
tears when the boy had to part with "Uncle
Tim," the negro slave, who had been one of
the family back to the time of the grandfather.
For "Uncle Tim" had to be sold, when the
father's property was settled up. Then and
there Dick Oglesby became an
abolitionist.
"I shall never forget how he looked as he
stood on the box ready for sale," said Dick
Oglesby
in later years in describing the scene.
"He was a powerful man, with a manly bearing, a
fine face, and a skin as black as ebony.
He had always been fond of us children, and I
thought almost as much of him as of my father.
The tears streamed down his face and he begged
my father's brother to buy him, but this could
not be done.
Little Dick just couldn't stand it.
He rushed up to Uncle Tim.
"Uncle Tim," he cried, "I'm going to
work to earn money and when I get enough I'm
going to buy you and set you free,"
Uncle Tim's face lit up, for a moment,
but in a second despair again settled on it.
"Thank you, Marse Dick, but you're a poor
orphan and won't nebber be rich 'nuff to buy
Uncle Tim," he said hopelessly.
But the little boy didn't forget. The
day came when he had the money to buy Uncle Tim
and set him free. When he came back from
California with plenty of gold Oglesby
fulfilled his boyhood promise.
Telling of his meeting then with Uncle Tim,
Oglesby said:
"When he caught sight of me he threw back his
head, raised his arms and exclaimed:
"'My God, has the li'l orphan boy lived to buy
and set me free!'
"Then he put his arms around me and tried to
life me, as in the old days, but I had grown too
large and he had grown to weak."
In 1836 a number of the Oglesbys left
Kentucky and located in Decatur, bringing the
orphan children of Jacob Oglesby with them.
Dick was the particular charge of his "Aunt
Judy," wife of Richard Oglesby.
This Richard Oglesby became the president of the
first board of trustees of the town of Decatur,
named in 1836. He also was one of three
men named to let the contract for Decatur's
second court house, the brick building erected
in 1838. Another uncle of the boy Dick,
who came to Decatur, was Willis Oglesby,
who had married Mildred
Snyder. He did not remain in
Decatur many years, but moved to Salem, Ind.,
taking the boy Dick with him. Dick
evidently didn't like it there, and through only
fourteen years of age he made the return trip to
Decatur by himself, that being his first journey
into the world alone.
Of the three sisters who came to Decatur, one
died shortly after arrival here. Amanda
afterwards became Mrs. Henry Prather and
Ophelia became Mrs. J. J. Peddecord.
Dick Oglesby always gratefully
remembered his Aunt Judy, who looked after his
welfare when he was a lad growing up. He
was a harum-scarum, fun-loving boy, full of
pranks and mischief, but his beloved
foster-mother lived to see the day when he was
filling the highest position his state could
offer him.
Aunt Judy, left a widow at the death of her
husband, Richard Oglesby, went to live
with the family of Dr. J. G. Speer.
Afterwards she lived for years with the Edmiston
McClellan family.
As a boy Dick Oglesby became a leader
among his associates usually in some mischief.
"Nat"
Krone, one of those boyhood friends, once
came in for a good scolding from his mother for
"running with that bad Oglesby boy." One
of Nat's secret ambitions was to be able to
swear like Dick Oglesby, and he was
properly punished once for undertaking it.
While growing into manhood Dick Oglesby
tried various methods of making a living, but
seemed to succeed in none.1
He learned the carpenter trade, he farmed, he
made rope. None proved profitable.
His only consolation out of a summer's work in
raising hemp, from which he manufactured rope,
was the fact that his rope was used in launching
the first flat boat which was sent out from
Decatur on the Sangamon.2
He decided to try the law, and went to
Springfield where he studied in the office of
Judge Silas Robbins.
The first thing he tackled in the beginning
of his law study was Blackstone, but he had not
had the necessary educational background and the
big words floored him. Up to that time
Oglesby had never read a book through in his
life.
Judge Robbins tried to help him, by
suggesting that he read history along with his
study and asked him what he remembered of his
history.
"I never read any, Judge," said young
Oglesby.
"What, no English history?" queried the judge.
"No," was the reply
"No American history?" continued the judge.
"No," said Oglesby.
"Well, what have you read?" asked the judge,
severely.
"Nothing, Judge, I never read a book through in
my life," Oglesby admitted, with a
crestfallen air.
"Why, Dick, how in the devil do you ever expect
to become a lawyer?" the judge exclaimed.
"Well," said Oglesby, "I know several
lawyers who never read anything, who never had
read anything, and hadn't any sense either, and
I guess I can be a lawyer if they can."
Dick buckled down with his study, however,
and some time later presented himself before
Judge Breeze
for examination.
""We had a jug of cider and a bushel of
apples to treat the judges and we all went
through," he told afterwards.
After he was admitted to the bar, in 1845, he
went to Sullivan to hang out his shingle.
He had a few cases in court, but business
wasn't rushing. Soon afterwards he
returned to Decatur.
One time Attorney Seth Post offered to
take him in on a case in probate court.
The fee was to be $30 and Oglesby was to
get half.
When the case was called, Oglesby
opened the argument. In that speech he
covered about everything he knew, except the
case before him. The fact was that he
didn't know anything about it. When he
finished, Judge Emerson, counsel for the
opposing side, told him he had made a fool of
himself, and tore his arguments to pieces.
Attorney Post then arose to address
the court.
"My distinguished colleague has recited the
facts so completely that it is unnecessary for
me to say anything," he remarked.
The case went to the jury. The case
went to the jury. The verdict was
returned. Oglesby
and Post had won the case.
Oglesby's part of the fee was more money
than he had ever owned before!
Oglesby once said:
"The gift of gab seems to be the only gift I
have."
For that reason he thought he ought to make
the successful lawyer. He soon found out,
however, that "gab was only one of the smallest
requisites of a lawyer."
--------------------
1Not
even Oglesby's youthful love affairs were successful.
According to a story told,
Oglesby one time back in the '40s was courting
a handsome young miss, when a Springfield fellow
happened along and decided he wanted the same
girl. The Springfield man wore a boiled
shirt and was all "dressed up".
Oglesby
had only his homespun garments. Evidently
looks counted with the girl, for she took the
Springfield man.
Oglesby bemoaned the fact that it "was always
his luck to get the girl sparked up to the
marrying point and then some other fellow came
along and got her".
2Dick
Oglesby told Mrs. George W.
Powers one day, when
speaking of his summer's work, that he "had
raised enough hemp to make a good rope and had a
mind to hang himself with it".
Photo by J. E.
Bering.
DECATUR HOUSE BUILT BY R. J.
OGLESBY
The original Oglesby home can be
seen at the right, adjoining the main house.
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