Emma Gillett Oglesby

Emma Susan Gillett Oglesby
Born	Emma Susan Gillett (1845-02-11)February 11, 1845 Cornland, Illinois
Died	January 14, 1928(1928-01-14) (aged 82) Illinois
Occupation(s)	Socialite, First Lady of Illinois
Spouse	Richard J. Oglesby
Children	John Gillett Oglesby
Parent(s)	John Dean Gillett and Lemira Parke Gillett

Emma Susan Gillett Oglesby (February 11, 1845) was an American socialite, and First Lady of Illinois due to her marriage to Governor Richard J. Oglesby.

Biography

Emma Gillett Oglesby was born on February 11, 1845, in Cornland, Illinois, to John Dean Gillett and Lemira Parke Gillett.

She received a well-rounded education. Until the age of sixteen, she attended public schools. Her father then arranged for her to be tutored by his cousin, a scholar of the classics, who guided her through a rigorous course of reading that included works by Shakespeare, Plutarch, Rollin, Gibbon, Guizot, Motley, Bancroft, and others. This early exposure to classical literature fostered a lifelong love of reading.

She married Governor Richard J. Oglesby, and the couple lived in Washington, D.C., during his terms as governor and U.S. senator before returning to Illinois in 1884.

As the state's First Lady, Oglesby was a prominent figure both in Illinois and nationally. She was a social leader, a board director for the World's Columbian Exposition, and gained further recognition through her international travels.

She was renowned for her extensive hospitality at Oglehurst, the family estate near Elkhart, particularly her annual Christmas dinners for the estate's tenants. The estate was also known for its impressive collection of artworks from around the world and for hosting numerous high-profile guests.

Oglesby actively participated in social and state activities, including serving on the National Woman's Committee for the 1893 World's Fair.

Anti-suffragist activity

In 1897, Caroline Fairfield Corbin, a Chicago homemaker, founded the Illinois Association Opposed to the Extension of Suffrage to Women (IAOESW). Oglesby served as the 2nd Vice-President of the organization.

Her organization contended that women should remain in their traditional domestic roles, allowing men to legislate on their behalf.

On April 1, 1898, Oglesby, an ally of Corbin, attended an IAOESW meeting with Corbin at Mrs. J. E. Bering’s residence in Decatur. Addressing approximately 20 women, Corbin argued against women's suffrage, asserting that men alone could fight and sacrifice for freedom in ways women could not. She claimed that women had not proven themselves morally superior to men except when protected from external temptations. Therefore, she believed that women entering politics would lead to increased immorality, weakness, and intrigue rather than improving it.

Marriage and Children

Emma married Hiram David Keays of Bloomington, Illinois, and he died in 1868.

She married Governor Richard J. Oglesby in November 1873 at her father’s house in Elkhart, Illinois. She had a son named John Gillett Oglesby who served as the 29th and 31st Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. They also had a daughter, Felicite, who was born in Decatur. Felicite Oglesby would later marry Count Alessandro Cenci-Bolognetti in Rome in 1924.

She had other children named Hiram Gillett Keays, Jasper Oglesby

Reputation

Gillette Memorial Arch

The John P. Gillett Memorial Bridge, originally a wooden structure built in 1899, was part of the Oglesby estate and was used for Governor Oglesby’s funeral procession, which included Robert Lincoln.

In 1915, Emma Gillett Oglesby commissioned the replacement of the wooden bridge with a concrete one in 1915 to honor her brother, John P. Gillett. The bridge connects to Elkhart Cemetery through Gillette Memorial Arch on County Road 10.

In 2005, the county proposed demolishing it for a road widening project. The bridge was listed as one of Illinois' Most Endangered Historic Places. It was deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA). Following discussions with the IHPA, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), and local officials, the bridge's demolition was halted.

Personality

Her charm, beauty, dignity it is said it remained notable throughout her life. She is described as the best-looking woman to have occupied the executive mansion at Springfield.

Death

Around 1926, Mrs. Oglesby suffered a stroke, which left her an invalid. She passed away on January 14, 1928, at her family estate after a prolonged illness.

Her funeral services were held at St. John's Memorial Chapel, with Rev. Edward Haughton of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Springfield officiating. The family requested no flowers. She was interred in the mausoleum at Elkhart Cemetery. She leaves behind relatives that included her sister, Mrs. William Barnes, and her niece, Isabelle P. Vennigerholz. Her children were present at her bedside at the time of her death.