Alonzo Knox Vickers (September 25, 1853 – January 21, 1915) was an American politician and jurist from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Vickers received a basic public education and assisted on the family farm as a youth. He later taught in schools and studied law in Metropolis, Illinois. Upon admission to the bar, Vickers practiced in and around

Vienna, Illinois Vienna ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Illinois, United States, and it is the site of two well-known state penitentiaries. The population of Vienna was 1,434 at the 2010 census. History Vienna was originally an Indian t ...

, also serving as that city's attorney. He served one term in 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 ...

from 1886 to 1888. In 1891, he was elected to the 1st Illinois circuit court, practicing there for eleven years until elevation to the Illinois Appellate Court. In 1906, Vickers was elected to the

Supreme Court of Illinois The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

. He died before completing his nine-year term.

Biography

Vickers was born on September 25, 1853, in

Massac County, Illinois Massac County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 15,429. Established in 1843 and named for a French fort founded in the 18th century, its county seat is Metropolis. Massac County is ...

. He was raised on the family farm and attended public school. He later attended a school in Metropolis, Illinois, then taught in county schools. While teaching, Vickers studied law under R. W. McCartney and was admitted to the bar in 1882. He established a practice in small

, and edited a paper there. After a brief junior partnership with a Judge Spann, Vickers founded a practice with George B. Gillespie. Vickers & Gillespie practiced until 1890. Vickers served as city attorney of Vienna. In 1886, he was elected as a Republican to the

, serving one two-year term. In 1891, Vickers was elected to the 1st

Illinois circuit court The Illinois circuit courts are state courts of the U.S. state of Illinois. They are trial courts of original jurisdiction. There are 24 judicial circuits in the state, each comprising one or more of Illinois' 102 counties. The jurisdiction of s ...

. He would hold this position for the next eleven years, succeeding in two re-election bids. In 1903, the

named Vickers to the 2nd district of the Illinois Appellate Court. In 1906, Vickers was elected to the Supreme Court, replacing

Carroll C. Boggs Carroll Curtis Boggs (October 19, 1844 – December 16, 1923) was an American jurist. Born in Fairfield, Illinois, Boggs received his bachelor's degree from McKendree University. Boggs served as state's attorney for Wayne County, Illinois and as ...

. He served as chief justice in 1910. Vickers died on January 21, 1915, before his nine-year term was complete. Vickers married and had a son and two daughters. Vickers was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

, and was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. He was buried in Vienna Fraternal Cemetery in Vienna.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vickers, Alonzo K. 1853 births 1915 deaths Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Metropolis, Illinois People from Vienna, Illinois Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court 19th-century American judges