Daniel Hay (May 18, 1781 – January 19, 1853) was an American politician and co-founder of

Carmi, Illinois Carmi is a city in and the county seat of White County, Illinois, United States, along the Little Wabash River, where the population was 5,240 at the 2010 census. History Carmi post office has been in operation since 1817, and then a WPA oil on ...

. Born in Virginia, Hay came with his family to

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 ...

at a young age. Shortly after his service in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, Hay decided to establish a homestead in

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 ...

. While traversing to his preferred location, he decided instead to help establish Carmi in White County. He was elected the first county sheriff, then served two terms in 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 ...

. He spent the rest of his life working to ensure pension payments and operating a store with his son.

Biography

Daniel Hay was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia on May 18, 1781. In 1788, his family moved to Bourbon County, Kentucky. Thirteen years later, they moved to Butler County, Kentucky. In 1813, Hay volunteered in a Kentucky regiment for the

. Three years later he moved to the

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ca ...

, intending to settle in Sangamon County. Shortly after crossing the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

, he spent the night in Equality, Illinois. There, he met James Racliffe, Willis Hargrave, and others who convinced him to help establish the town of

. Hay purchased a lot there and brought his family over from Kentucky, arriving October 31, 1816. Hay was elected the first sheriff of

White County, Illinois White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,877. Its county seat is Carmi. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as " Little Egypt". Histo ...

in 1818, serving three two-year terms. He purchased a farm west of Carmi in 1820 and moved his family there. In 1824, he was then elected to the

, where he served two two-year terms. From 1825 to 1929, he was contracted to move mail from Shawneetown to Vandalia via Carmi and Fairfield. He eventually delegated the service to his sons until the contract expired in 1842. Hay moved back to Carmi in 1831, maintaining a hotel and ferry. That year, he was also appointed a United States Pension Agent, holding the position for eleven years. He returned to his farm in 1832–33. After his pension role expired, he worked to prosecute claims for pensioners. With his son William, he founded the store of D. & W. L. Hay, which opened in 1840. He turned over his share of ownership to William in 1848. He again returned to Carmi in 1847 after most of his children were grown. That year, he was elected to the Convention of 1848, commissioned to revise the

Constitution of Illinois The Constitution of the State of Illinois is the governing document of the state of Illinois. There have been four Illinois Constitutions; the fourth and current version was adopted in 1970. The current constitution is referred to as the "Constit ...

. Hay married Priscilla Robbins in 1809. They had ten children: eight sons and two daughters. Hay died on January 19, 1853.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, Daniel 1781 births 1853 deaths Illinois state senators People from Bourbon County, Kentucky People from Butler County, Kentucky People from Prince Edward County, Virginia People from Carmi, Illinois 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Illinois politicians