Joseph Duncan (politician)
| Joseph Duncan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 6th Governor of Illinois | |
| In office December 3, 1834 – December 7, 1838 |
|
| Preceded by | William Lee D. Ewing |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Carlin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 22, 1794 Paris, Kentucky |
| Died | January 15, 1844 (aged 49) Jacksonville, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Politician |
Joseph Duncan (February 22, 1794 – January 15, 1844) was a U.S. politician. He served as the sixth Governor of Illinois from 1834 to 1838. He was a Democrat and a two-term U.S. Representative.
Duncan lived in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois. He was born in Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky. He served in the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War as a soldier. Before becoming governor, he had a notable political career, serving in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1825 to 1829, and later as a U.S. Congressman.
Duncan was the governor who requested the legislature create a state Internal Improvements Act, which paved the way for numerous roads, state highways, bridges and canals across the state. He later changed his mind, deciding the costs would be too high, but the legislature ignored this plea. The improvements were made, often by building roads between small towns that had little need of such monumental structures, and it forced the state into near-perpetual bankruptcy that guided economic decisions for generations. The debt from the Internal Improvements Act would not be fully paid off until 1882, costing the state more in interest than in the dollar amounts to actually build the so-called improvements throughout the state.
It was also during Duncan's tenure that the state capital was removed from Vandalia, Fayette County, Illinois, to the current location, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois. This was controversially done in large part by the successful leadership skills of Springfield's representatives, one of whom was Abraham Lincoln, who was accused of a type of bullying called Logrolling.
Duncan died in Jacksonville. Interment is at Diamond Grove Cemetery there.
[edit] External links
- Joseph Duncan (politician) at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Joseph Duncan House (in Jacksonville)
- Perrin, William Henry (1884). Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical. F.A. Battey Publishing Company. pp. 115–116.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Daniel P. Cook |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's At-large congressional district March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1833 |
Succeeded by District elections |
| Preceded by District created |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 3rd congressional district March 4, 1833 – September 21, 1834 |
Succeeded by William L. May |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by William Lee D. Ewing |
Governor of Illinois 1834–1838 |
Succeeded by Thomas Carlin |
