Charles S. Hempstead
Charles S. Hempstead | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Mayor of Galena | |
| In office May 24, 1841 – 1845 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 10, 1794 Hebron, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 1874 Galena, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois |
| Political party | Whig |
Charles Smith Hempstead (Sep. 10, 1794 - Dec. 10, 1874) was a businessman, lawyer, and mayor from the U.S. State of Illinois. He is credited for serving as the first mayor of the city of Galena in Jo Daviess County.[1] He was a promoter of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad and was the younger brother of Missouri Territory House Representative Edward Hempstead.[2]
Biography[edit]
Charles was born in Hebron, Connecticut on September 10, 1794 from American Revolutionary War veteran Stephen Hempstead Sr. and his mother Marry Lewis. In 1809 at the age of fifteen he left his school at the New London Academy in Forest, Virginia for St. Louis. After his arrival he would study law for many years under his elder brother and House Representative Edward Hempstead, until his death in 1817 from a horse accident, aged 37.[3]
In the 1820s and 1830s Charles traveled throughout Illinois and the Missouri Territory before settling in Galena, IL. In January, 1834 he married Eliza Barnes and they had two children.[4] By April 26, 1841 Galena was granted its charter. During that same period on May 24th a mayoral election was held by the board of trustees in which three candidates ran. Charles, H. H. Gear, and Daniel Wann. The results showed a turnout of 356 voters, of which Charles received 185, resulting in him becoming Galena's first mayor. He would serve until 1845.[5]
Before his mayoral term, in 1840 Charles became an attorney partner with Harvard Law School graduate Elihu B. Washburne up until Washburne was elected to serve as a congressman for Illinois in 1852.[6]
When the American Civil War broke out Charles was given the position of Assistant Paymaster of the Army by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861. He would work under Paymaster-General of the United States Army Timothy Andrews and Benjamin Brice until the wars end. In addition, let it be known that despite Charles support for the Northern Union, he had a mixed view on slavery and may have taken the position as a business venture instead of a moral service.[7]
Charles spent the rest of his days in Galena as a prominent lawyer and member of the Early Settler's Association until his death on December 10, 1874 at age 80. His law and business partner Elihu B. Washburne had this to say about his passing in a letter from January 15, 1875. "I have felt it to be fitting that a tribute should be paid to the memory of a man who was a connecting link with the age gone by, and whose career was so interwoven not only with the history of our immediate locality, but with the earlier settlement of the west and northwest."[8]
Legacy[edit]
Charles left an everlasting effect in Galena and Jo Daviess County, his original home and office still stands near the city's downtown and the Galena River at 611 South Bench Street. The Hempstead family among other local historical fugures are a prominent part of the Galena Historical Society's annual cemetery walk since 1994.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ Ray Werner (November 4, 2015). "Longitudinal Relevance of the North American Review". North American Review. University of Northern Iowa. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ "1837: CHARLES SMITH HEMPSTEAD TO WILLIAM HEMPSTEAD". Spared & Shared. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ Hon. E. B. Washburne (1875). "Historical sketch of Charles S. Hempstead". HathiTrust. University of Michigan. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Hempstead, Charles S. (Hemstead)". Papers of Abrahma Lincoln Digital Library. State of Illinois. 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc". Internet Archive. Chicago, H.F. Kett & Co. 1878. p. 475. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Stephen Hess (1967). "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS". AmericanHeritage.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Hon. E. B. Washburne (1875). "Historical sketch of Charles S. Hempstead". HathiTrust. University of Michigan. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Elihu Washburne". National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Historical Society's 30th Annual Cemetery Walk". Visitgalena.org. Greater Galena Marketing Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2024.