Duncan McArthur Funk (June 1, 1832 – December 17, 1911) was an American politician, banker, and rancher 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 to

Isaac Funk Isaac Funk (November 17, 1797 – January 29, 1865) was an American rancher and politician, originally from Kentucky. In the 1820s, he founded Funks Grove, Illinois, in McLean County, Illinois, with his brother and became a prominent cattle trad ...

, patriarch of the

Funk family The Funk Family is composed of Midwestern United States pioneers who did business in the fields of agriculture, politics, finance and civic life. Abraham Lincoln was one of Funk Farms' first attorneys and later served in the Illinois House of Repr ...

, Funk left the family settlement to open a store in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...

. Following his father's death, Funk tended to his share of his inherited property. Funk was president of the First National Bank of Bloomington and had financial interests in several others. He was elected to three consecutive terms 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 ...

Biography

Duncan McArthur Funk was born on June 1, 1832, in

Funks Grove, Illinois Funks Grove is a historic unincorporated community on U.S. Route 66 in McLean County, Illinois, United States, southwest of Bloomington. The grove for which the settlement is named, ''Funk's Grove'', is a National Natural Landmark. Natural hist ...

, to Cassandra (Sharp) and

. He attended public schools and assisted with managing the family lands. When Funk was twenty-five, he left the farm to open a store in

, as Temple & Funk. He co-owned the store until 1866, when he returned to tend to the family farm following the death of his father. Funk received of his father's lands, where he raised cattle and hogs. Funk also received a share of the First National Bank of Bloomington. He became closely involved with its operations and was named its president in 1874. He held the office for more than 20 years. Funk also maintained financial interests in the First National Bank of Shelbyville, Illinois; the Bankers' National Bank of Chicago; the First National Bank of Normal; and the State Bank of Hayworth. Funk was also a stockholder of the Bloomington Gaslight & Heating Company. Funk followed his father's political convictions and was a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. He was elected a member of the board of Supervisors of Bloomington Township. He held the position for over twenty years. In 1896, Funk was elected on the Republican ticket to the

, where he served a two-year term. He was re-elected in the two subsequent elections. Duncan Funk married Elizabeth Richardson on April 16, 1857. They had two children: Isabelle and Isaac Lincoln. He died on December 17, 1911.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Funk, Duncan McArthur 1832 births 1911 deaths Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from McLean County, Illinois 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Illinois politicians