Alexander M. Jenkins (1802 – February 13, 1864) was an American politician. Between 1834 and 1836 he served as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.

Life

Jenkins settled in Jackson County, Illinois as a youth, residing in Brownsville. He engaged in trade before studying law and practiced his profession in

Southern Illinois Southern Illinois, also known as Little Egypt, is the southern third of Illinois, principally along and south of Interstate 64. Although part of a Midwestern United States, Midwestern state, this region is aligned in culture more with that of th ...

. He was elected to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1830 and 1832, serving as Speaker in his second term. During this time, he participated in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

as captain of a volunteer company. In 1834, he was elected Lieutenant Governor as a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, serving under Governor Joseph Duncan, a Whig. Jenkins resigned mid-way through his term to become President of the Illinois Central Railroad. He was later Receiver of Public Moneys at the General Land Office in Edwardsville, Illinois and was a delegate to the Illinois state constitutional convention from Jackson County in 1847. In 1859, he was elected Circuit Judge for the Third Judicial Circuit and was re-elected in 1861. He died on February 13, 1864. Jenkins was the uncle of

John A. Logan John Alexander Logan (February 9, 1826 – December 26, 1886) was an American soldier and politician. He served in the Mexican–American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a stat ...

, later a General of the Union Army and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Illinois, to whom he taught law.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Alexander M. 1802 births 1864 deaths 19th-century American politicians American people of the Black Hawk War Illinois state court judges Lieutenant Governors of Illinois People from Jackson County, Illinois Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 19th-century American judges