Henry Andrus (November 4, 1844 – February 2, 1935) was an American politician 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 and raised in

Winnebago County, Illinois Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 285,350 making it the seventh most populous county in Illinois behind Cook County and its five surrounding collar counties. ...

, Andrus spent his whole life in the county. He originally helped on his family's farm, then started his own. The success of the farm led to his election to the county board of supervisors. In 1896, he was elected to 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 ...

, then continued 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 ...

. He served in the upper house from 1900 to 1904, then again from 1908 to 1916.

Biography

Henry Andrus was born in

Harlem Township, Winnebago County, Illinois Harlem Township is located in Winnebago County, Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Loui ...

, on November 4, 1844. He attended public schools and assisted on the family farm. He continued to work the farm through his early adulthood until he was twenty-one, when he moved to

Pecatonica, Illinois Pecatonica is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,195 at the 2010 census, up from 1,997 in 2000. History The village was named after ...

. Six years later, he moved on to a farm in Cherry Valley Township. His farm because very successful and Andrus became a leading citizen of the county. He was elected a township supervisor, holding the role for nineteen years. For seven of these years, he was chairman of the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors. In 1896, Andrus was elected to the

as a

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 ...

. He was re-elected two years later and then was elected to the

in 1900. He served in the upper house through 1904. During his first legislative tenure, he pushed for the passage of an act to appropriate a board of supervisors to build

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

in Rockford. He also advocated for an act establishing a monument at the

Stillman's Run Battle Site Stillman's Run Battle Site is a site in Stillman Valley, Illinois. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been since December 1983. The Battle of Stillman's Run was an 1832 clash between the Illinois militia and Black Hawk ...

in Stillman Valley. The Republican Party did not support Andrus in 1904, instead running Andrew J. Anderson as their candidate. Andrus returned to the state senate in 1908, serving eight more years. Andrus married Jennie Love in 1868. They had two surviving children (Edith and Sylvester Claude). Andrus was a member of the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, the

Modern Woodmen of America Modern Woodmen of America (MWA) is one of the largest (based on assets) fraternal benefit societies in the United States, with more than 750,000 members. Total assets reached US$15.4 billion in 2016. Though it shares the same founder, it is not ...

, and was a 32nd degree

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

. He died at the home of his son after a three-week illness on February 2, 1935, and was buried in Cherry Valley Cemetery in Cherry Valley.

John A. Atwood John A. Atwood (May 21, 1850–August 31, 1930) was an American businessman and politician. Atwood was born in the Province of Canada. He lived in Stillman Valley, Illinois and went to the public schools. He was involved in the insurance busi ...

, who also serve in the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...

, was the brother-in-law of Harry Andrus; Atwood's wife was the sister of Harry Andrus.'Former Senator Dies At Rockford,' The Belvedire Republican-Northwestern (Illinois), September 5, 1930, pg. 3

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrus, Henry 1844 births 1935 deaths County commissioners in Illinois Republican Party Illinois state senators Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Politicians from Rockford, Illinois People from Pecatonica, Illinois