Elijah Iles (March 28, 1796 – September 4, 1883) was an American businessman, pioneer, and politician who was one of the first settlers of

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest 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 1826 and fought in the Winnebago and

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

s. During the latter engagement, Iles commanded future President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

Biography

Elijah Iles was born in

Fayette County, Kentucky Fayette County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 322,570, making it the second-most populous county in the commonwealth. Its territory, population and government are coextens ...

on March 28, 1796. His father was sheriff of Bath County. With money lent to him from his father, Elijah established a cattle ranch in the eastern part of the state and became wealthy. In 1818, he moved to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Territory The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821. In 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was created from a portion of its southern area. In 1821, a southeas ...

to open a store. He settled in

in 1821, becoming one of the first three settlers to the town. He opened the first store in the town. Iles was the first postmaster of Springfield. Iles married Melinda Benjamin in 1824. He was elected to the

in 1826 and served through 1834. During his service, he was part of the committee that decided to move the state capital to Springfield. He served as a major during the

Winnebago War The Winnebago War, also known as the Winnebago Uprising, was a brief conflict that took place in 1827 in the Upper Mississippi River region of the United States, primarily in what is now the state of Wisconsin. Not quite a war, the hostilities ...

of 1827. He sold his Springfield store to his protege John Williams in 1830. Elijah Iles House

In 1831, he enlisted as a private for the

, later promoted to captain. During his service as captain, Iles led a young

in his unit. He built the American House hotel in 1839, the largest hotel in the state, which became a meeting place for early Illinois statesmen. By the time of his death on September 4, 1883, he had accumulated large land holdings. Iles was buried in

Oak Ridge Cemetery Oak Ridge Cemetery is an American cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. The Lincoln Tomb, where Abraham Lincoln, his wife and all but one of their children lie, is here, as are the graves of other prominent Illinois figures. Thus, it is the second-m ...

. Iles' house is now the oldest standing house in Springfield. It was 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 ...

by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

on February 23, 1978.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iles, Elijah 1796 births 1883 deaths Illinois state senators People from Fayette County, Kentucky Politicians from Springfield, Illinois American city founders American people of the Black Hawk War 19th-century American politicians

Biography

See also

References