Archibald Alexander Glenn (January 30, 1819 – May 21, 1901) was an American politician from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Raised in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, Glenn's father died when he was thirteen and Glenn had to provide for his family. In 1837, he moved to

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 ...

where he learned the printing trade and became a publisher. He campaigned for

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

in 1844 then became a prominent politician in

Brown County, Illinois Brown County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,937. Its county seat is Mount Sterling. Siloam Springs State Park is located partly in this county. History Brown County was formed o ...

. He was elected to the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

in 1872 and was named its president two years later; this made him the acting Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. After his term, he moved to

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

, where he held several political positions.

Biography

Archibald Alexander Glenn was born in

Nicholas County, Kentucky Nicholas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,135. Its county seat is Carlisle, which is also the only incorporated community in the county. Founded in 1799, the county is named f ...

, on January 30, 1819. When he was three, his family moved north to Indiana. In 1832, Glenn's father died and he was forced to forgo his education work on the family farm. When he was eighteen, Glenn moved to

Rushville, Illinois Rushville is a city in Schuyler County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,192 at the 2010 census and 2,902 in 2018. It is the county seat of Schuyler County. It was first settled by Euro-Americans in 1823. History Geography Accord ...

, to learn the printing trade. There, he published the ''Rushville Whig'' until 1844. During that year's

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

, Glenn spent most of his life's earnings campaigning for

. After the election, Glenn moved to

Ripley, Illinois Ripley is a village in Brown County, Illinois, Brown County, Illinois, United States, named after the popular books and television show "Ripley's Believe It Or Not," located along La Moine River. The population was 53 according to the 2020 census. ...

, where was named a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and served as postmaster. He rose to become clerk of the county court and recorder of deeds. Glenn was a delegate to the Illinois constitutional convention of 1862 and served on the State Board of Equalization of Taxes. He also served for four years as the Brown County superintendent of schools. He was elected to the

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in 1872 and served two two-year terms. He was elected

President of the Illinois Senate The President of the Illinois Senate is the presiding officer of the Illinois Senate, the upper house of the Illinois General Assembly. The post dates from the General Assembly's 32nd session, in 1881. From 1881 to 1973, the lieutenant governor wa ...

for the second term; this made him the acting Lieutenant Governor of Illinois from 1875 to 1877. He would be the last Democrat to hold the position until 1893. Once his term as Lieutenant Governor was complete in 1878, Glenn moved to

. Glenn specialized in pension law and was elected Police Judge in 1881. He served two terms as city treasurer. Glenn married Lavinia Cooper on February 13, 1851; they had six children, though only two (William C. and Ella) survived to adulthood. Lavinia died on May 28, 1881, and Glenn later married Catherine Stricker on June 9, 1885. Glenn enjoyed studying math, Latin, and Greek in his free time. The family were member of the

Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

. Glenn died after an illness on May 21, 1901, and was buried in Ripley Cemetery in Ripley.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn, Archibald A. 1819 births 1901 deaths American people of Scottish descent Democratic Party Illinois state senators Lieutenant Governors of Illinois People from Brown County, Illinois People from Nicholas County, Kentucky Politicians from Wichita, Kansas Kansas Democrats People from Rushville, Illinois 19th-century American politicians