Edward A. Wilcox (September 8, 1830 – September 23, 1910) was an American physician and politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Coming 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 ...

at a young age with his family, Wilcox attended both public and private schooling before matriculating at

Rush Medical College Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, located in the Illinois Medical District, about 3 km (2 miles) west of the Loop in Chicago. Offering a full-time Doctor of Medicine program, the school was chartered in 1837, and ...

. He established a practice in

Minonk, Illinois Minonk is a city in Minonk Township, Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,078 at the 2010 census, down from 2,168 in 2000. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Minonk is located ...

in 1858 which he operated until his death in 1910. Wilcox was also active in politics as a member of the county and state

Republican Parties Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He served two two-year 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 ...

starting in 1872. He co-founded the North Central Illinois Medical Association in 1874.

Biography

Edward A. Wilcox was born in

Wattsburg, Pennsylvania Wattsburg is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 352 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Incorporated in 1833, Wattsburg was once a thriving stagecoach center. ...

on September 8, 1830. He was the eldest child born to Dr. Levi Wilcox, who practiced medicine and was later a U.S. Consul to Kankow,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Two of Wilcox's uncles were also physicians, and one of Wilcox' brothers would also pursue that profession. In 1837, Wilcox's family moved to

Lacon, Illinois Lacon is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,937 at the 2010 census, down from 1,979 in 2000. History Lacon was named ...

. Wilcox attended public school there and later attended private schooling at Mount Morris Academy. Wilcox's father died young, so Wilcox studied medicine under one of his uncles, R. B. Rodgers, in Lacon. He later studied with

Robert Boal The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, a former partner of his father. Wilcox matriculated at

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, graduating in 1857. He returned to Lacon to practice for a year, then moved to

. He practiced there until his death. Wilcox was thrice named mayor of Minonk and served two terms on its school board. He was postmaster for eight years and sixteen years on the Woodford County

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

central committee. For twelve years, he served on the Illinois Republican Central Committee, four on its executive committee. He was twice a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

. In 1872, Wilcox was elected to the

, where he served two consecutive two-year terms; he was the only physician in the Senate at the time and thus focused on charitable institutions. Rush presented Wilcox with an honorary degree in 1874. Wilcox married Caroline Mathis on June 23, 1857; they had eight children. She died in 1878 and Wilcox married a year later to Victoria Boyle. Wilcox and Boyle had another five children. Son Frederick W. practiced medicine in Minonk. Son Alfred R. (

Twin Falls, Idaho Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 census. In the Magic Valley region, Twin Falls is the largest city in a radius, and is the regional ...

) and Brainard (Minonk) practiced dentistry. Wilcox served with the Illinois Medical Society and the Woodford County Medical Organization. He co-founded the North Central Illinois Medical Association with fourteen other physicians in 1874. Wilcox died in Minonk on September 23, 1910.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Edward A. 1830 births 1910 deaths Republican Party Illinois state senators Politicians from Erie County, Pennsylvania People from Minonk, Illinois Physicians from Illinois Rush Medical College alumni 19th-century American legislators People from Lacon, Illinois 19th-century Illinois politicians