Isaac Funk (November 17, 1797 – January 29, 1865) was an American rancher and politician, originally from

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 ...

. In the 1820s, he founded

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 ...

, in

McLean County, Illinois McLean County is the largest county by land area in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 169,572. Its county seat is Bloomington. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, IL Metropolita ...

, with his brother and became a prominent cattle trader. Funk was elected to one term 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 ...

in 1840. Despite several financial setbacks, Funk remained one of the wealthiest settlers in the area. He served 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 ...

in the 1860s and died before his second term was complete. He was the 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 ...

and co-founded

Illinois Wesleyan University 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. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfor ...

Biography

Isaac Funk was born on November 17, 1797, in

Clark County, Kentucky Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,972. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was created in 1792 from Bourbon and Fayette counties and is named for Revolutionary War ...

, to Adam and Sarah (Moore) Funk. He was one of nine children and received little schooling. In 1807, he moved with his family to

Fayette County, Ohio Fayette County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 28,951. Its county seat is Washington Court House, Ohio, Washington Court House. The coun ...

. In 1821, Funk left his family to work at the Kanawha Salt Works in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

for a year. He then returned to Ohio, working as a laborer on a farm. In April 1824, Funk moved to

Sangamon County, Illinois Sangamon County is located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, Illinois, Springfield, the List ...

. His stay was brief, and he moved to McLean County, becoming one of the county's first settlers. There, he established

, with his brother Absalom. He and his brother began a successful business raising cattle and farming. By the 1830s, the Funks were among the richest settlers in the area. However, they lost half of their fortune in the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

. The brothers dissolved their partnership the next year. Funk continued to rear cattle and slowly rebuilt his fortune. He was elected to the

in 1840, ostensibly as a Whig, serving one two-year term. He again met financial hardship during the

Great Flood of 1844 The Great Flood of 1844 is the biggest flood ever recorded on the Missouri River and Upper Mississippi River, in North America, in terms of discharge. The adjusted economic impact was not as great as subsequent floods because of the small populatio ...

, when many of his cattle died. He was named to the Board of Trustees of

in 1850 as one of its original founders. Funk again rebuilt his wealth and was able to build a large house in the 1860s. In 1862, Funk was appointed to fill the

term of

Richard J. Oglesby Richard James Oglesby (July 25, 1824April 24, 1899) was an American soldier and Republican politician from Illinois, The town of Oglesby, Illinois, is named in his honor, as is an elementary school situated in the Auburn Gresham neighborhoo ...

, who resigned to fight in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. By this point, Funk was affiliated with the new

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 ...

. Funk was elected to a second two-year term in 1864. Funk was a Whig before becoming a Republican. He was friend of Abraham Lincoln and worked in his presidential campaign of 1860. Isaac Funk, along with his attorney and friend, Abraham Lincoln, were responsible for bringing the Chicago & Alton Railroad through the Bloomington area, sidetracking it from its planned route through Peoria. Funk married Cassandra Sharp in June 1826. They had ten children. Funk died on January 29, 1865, 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 ...

. He fell ill with

erysipelas Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright red rash, t ...

and

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

the previous day at his home after returning from a legislative session. His wife died later that day. He was buried in Funks Grove Cemetery (Funks Grove, Illinois). Although he left no formal

will and testament A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person ( executor) is to manage the property until its final distributi ...

, his children donated $10,000 to create the Isaac Funk Professorship of Agriculture at Illinois Wesleyan. Funk was named to the Farmers' Hall of Fame at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

and a portrait of him was hung there in 1913.

Funk family

Isaac Funk was the patriarch of the

, a mainstay in Illinois and American politics. His eldest son

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

assumed most of his business interests and was later elected to the Illinois House. His fourth son,

Duncan McArthur Duncan McArthur (1772April 29, 1839) was a military officer and a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 11th governor of Ohio. When first elected to state office as a representative, he was serving in the ...

, served three terms in the Illinois House.Fifth son

Marquis De LaFayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...

served a term in the state house and then two terms in the state senate. He was the father of Eugene Funk, a prominent businessman and member of the Illinois Board of Agricultural Advisors. Seventh son, Benjamin F. Funk, was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. Benjamin's Funk's son Frank H. also served in the U.S. House. Only daughter Sarah married Leonidas H. Kerrick, who served in the Illinois House and was a trustee at the University of Illinois.

References

External links

"Funk known for condemnation of 'Copperheads'"
- ''Pantagraph'' (Bloomington, Illinois newspaper) {{DEFAULTSORT:Funk, Isaac 1797 births 1865 deaths Republican Party Illinois state senators Illinois Wesleyan University Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from McLean County, Illinois 19th-century American politicians