Charles Drury Hodges (February 4, 1810 – April 1, 1884) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

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 ...

. Born in

Talbot County, Maryland Talbot County is located in the heart of the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,526. Its county seat is Easton, Maryland, Easton. The county was named ...

, Hodges attended the public schools and was graduated from Trinity College,

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, in 1829. He studied law in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, gaining

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1831 and commencing practice in Annapolis. He moved to

Carrollton, Illinois Carrollton is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Illinois, Greene County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,484 as of the 2010 census. Geography Carrollton is located in south-central Greene County at (39.296662, -90.40 ...

, in 1833 and resumed the practice of law, also engaging in the mercantile business for a short time. He served as member of 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 1851 to 1853, and was elected judge of

Greene County, Illinois Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, it has a population of 11,843. Its county seat is Carrollton. A notable archaeological area, the Koster Site, has produced evidence of ...

, in 1854. He was reelected for a four-year term in 1858 but resigned in 1859 having been elected to Congress. He was also secretary and treasurer of the St. Louis, Jacksonville & Chicago Railroad in 1858, and afterward director for many years. Hodges was elected 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 ...

to the Thirty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Thomas L. Harris Thomas Langrell Harris (October 29, 1816 – November 24, 1858) was a soldier in the United States Army and U.S. Representative from Illinois. Harris was decorated for bravery at the Battle of Cerro Gordo during the Mexican–American War, an ...

and served from January 4 to March 3, 1859. He was not a candidate for election to fill the vacancy in the Thirty-sixth Congress, caused also by the death of Mr. Harris. He resumed the practice of law in

. He was a circuit judge from 1867 to 1873, and served as member of the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

from 1873 to 1877. After his legislative service, he again practiced law in

, until his death April 1, 1884. He was interred in the City Cemetery. Hodges' house in Carrollton is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Charles Drury 1810 births 1884 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Illinois state court judges Democratic Party Illinois state senators 19th-century American legislators People from Talbot County, Maryland People from Carrollton, Illinois 19th-century American judges 19th-century Illinois politicians