John Hamlin (October 25, 1800 – March 29, 1876) was an American politician. His travels early in his adulthood led him to

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, where he traded for the

American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British co ...

. He served 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 ...

and then two 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 ...

Biography

John Hamlin was born on October 25, 1800, in Hampden County, Massachusetts, to John and Lucy Hamlin. He worked on a farm when he was a child and attended some schooling. When he was sixteen, he joined his brother's business, selling goods from a traveling wagon. Three years later, the brothers had sold all of their wares and sold the wagon. Hamlin moved frequently in the subsequent years, staying at times in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. He set out for another sojourn to Missouri, but on his way, he decided to stay at Logan County, Illinois (then Sangamon County). Settling near James Latham's farm in Elkhart, Hamlin worked Latham's land for a year. In 1821, Hamlin joined a keelboat operation on the Sangamon River, selling goods to settlements on the river. That May, Hamlin decided to build a pair of log cabins in Peoria and permanently settle. When Fulton County was formed in 1822, Hamlin was elected its first

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. He took a contract the next year to supply Fort Howard in Wisconsin with beef. He became associated with the

after a visit to Fort Dearborn. He used his house in Fort Clark as a trading post, often trading with Native Americans. He opened a store in Peoria in 1825 and established a branch in Mackinawtown in 1828. A year after Peoria County was founded in 1825, Hamlin was elected county commissioner. He served a two-year term and was later elected to another two-year term in 1830, although he resigned before it was completed. Hamlin donated a log cabin to serve as the first

Peoria County Courthouse Peoria can refer to: People * Peoria tribe, Native American tribe Places United States * Peoria, Arizona, largest city in the U.S. with that name; named after Peoria, Illinois. ** Peoria Unified School District **Peoria Sports Complex **Peoria ...

in March 1829. Four years later, he was commissioned to provide rock and timber for the first permanent courthouse. In 1829, Hamlin sold his other business interests to co-founded the first flour mill in the area with John Sharp, which ran for five years. He bought a

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

, the ''S. B. Triton'' which he renamed the ''Peoria'', and operated it between Peoria and St. Louis, Missouri, the first such boat on the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

. In Peoria, Hamlin served on the board of trustees and as an alderman. In 1834, he was elected as a Whig to the

. After a two-year term, he was elected to the

, where he was re-elected two years later. Later in his life he joined the Second National Bank of Peoria as a director. He co-founded the Savings Bank of Peoria with seven other investors in 1868. He died on March 29, 1876, and was buried in

Springdale Cemetery Springdale Cemetery is a historic, non-sectarian, active cemetery in the United States city of Peoria, Illinois. It was chartered in 1855, received its first interment in 1857. Almost 78,000 individuals are buried at the cemetery. It contains a p ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamlin, John 1800 births 1876 deaths 19th-century American legislators American Fur Company people American bankers American fur traders County board members in Illinois Illinois Whigs Illinois state senators Members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Hampden County, Massachusetts Peoria, Illinois City Council members Politicians from Peoria, Illinois 19th-century Illinois politicians