James Herrington (June 6, 1824 – July 7, 1890) was an American politician from Pennsylvania. Coming with his family to Illinois at a young age, he joined a Chicago printing house to support his family. He apprenticed under

Long John Wentworth John Wentworth (March 5, 1815 – October 16, 1888), nicknamed Long John, was the editor of the ''Chicago Democrat,'' publisher of an extensive Wentworth family genealogy, a two-term mayor of Chicago, and a six-term member of the United States H ...

and became a prominent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

upon his return to Geneva. He served seven 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 ...

and was once a candidate for the United States House of Representatives. When the office was created in 1887, Herrington became the first Mayor of Geneva.

Biography

James Herrington was born in

Mercer County, Pennsylvania Mercer County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 110,652. Its county seat is Mercer, and its largest city is Hermitage. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803. Merce ...

on June 6, 1824. His father would become one of the founders of Kane County, Illinois. Herrington moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois in 1833. The next year, his father sold the property and purchased a claim west in what is now

Geneva, Illinois Geneva is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the western side of the Chicago suburbs. Per the 2020 census, the population was 21,393. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, located between S ...

. In 1839, his father died, so Herrington moved back to Chicago to apprentice in the printer's trade. He worked in the '' Chicago Democrat'' offices for seven years under future

Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and r ...

and

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

, who became a mentor. Herrington returned to Geneva in 1849, where he was elected Kane County Clerk. He served in this position for eight years, dealing in real estate and publishing on the side. He bought a farm in Blackberry Township in 1863. Herrington was elected to the

in 1872 as a

. His views on corporate personhood proved popular with his district. He for twelve years in the lower house, finally defeated by Thomas O'Donnell in 1884. Herrington then returned to Geneva. He supported

Carter Harrison, Sr. Carter Henry Harrison Sr. (February 15, 1825October 28, 1893) was an American politician who served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1879 until 1887; he was subsequently elected to a fifth term in 1893 but was assassinated before completing t ...

's campaign for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate in 1885; the nomination instead went to William Ralls Morrison. Herrington served one last term in the Illinois House from 1886 to 1888. Herrington was elected the first Mayor of Geneva in 1887, shortly after the town authorized the position. However, he resigned a few months later due to a conflict with the city council over saloon licenses. In 1888, the Democratic Party nominated Herrington to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, but he was defeated in his strongly Republican district. Herrington married Mary A. Blodgett on January 14, 1850. They had ten children, nine surviving to adulthood. Herrington died on July 7, 1890. He had been suffering from paralysis for the last year, which worsened a few weeks before his death. His death was front-page news on the '' Chicago Inter Ocean''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrington, James 1824 births 1890 deaths Mayors of places in Illinois Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Politicians from Chicago People from Geneva, Illinois Politicians from Mercer County, Pennsylvania 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Illinois politicians