Jesse Kilgore Dubois (sometimes styled DuBois) (January 14, 1811 – November 22, 1876) 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 ...

. The son of a prominent early Illinois citizen, Dubois 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 ...

while he was attending Indiana College. Nicknamed Uncle Jesse, he served four two-year terms there. An early

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 ...

, Dubois was named the party's first candidate for Auditor of Public Accounts. He was elected in 1856 and served two four-year terms. He was the father of Senator

Fred Dubois Fred Thomas Dubois (May 29, 1851February 14, 1930) was a controversial American politician from Idaho who served two terms in the United States Senate. He was best known for his opposition to the gold standard and his efforts to disenfranchise M ...

Biography

Jesse Kilgore Dubois was born on January 14, 1811, in

Lawrence County, Illinois Lawrence County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,280. Its county seat is Lawrenceville. History Lawrence County was formed in 1821 out of Crawford and Edwards counties. It was ...

. The son of

Toussaint Dubois Toussaint Dubois (October 8, 1762 – May 10, 1816) was a Montreal born Frenchman and American soldier who joined with Lafayette to fight for American independence in the American Revolutionary War. Biography Toussaint DuBois was born Oct. 8 ...

, Jesse attended some classes at Indiana College until he was twenty-four. In 1834, he was elected to the

. He was re-elected to the lower house to two-year terms in 1836, 1838, and 1842. In 1841, he was appointed Register of the Land Office of

Palestine, Illinois Palestine is a village in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,369 at the 2010 census, a 0.2 percent increase from 1,366 in 2000. Geography Palestine is located at (39.002214, -87.612110). According to the 2010 census ...

, by

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

, but worked only briefly before resigning. He managed stores until 1849, when he was appointed Receiver of Public Moneys of Palestine. Dubois was removed from his office when

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

assumed the presidency in 1853. Dubois affiliated himself with the emerging Republican Party and was present at the

Bloomington Convention The Bloomington Convention was a meeting held in Bloomington, Illinois, on May 29, 1856, establishing the Illinois Republican Party. It was an attempt to unite Anti-Nebraska members of the Opposition Party into a single party. The convention adopte ...

in 1856. There, he was nominated as Auditor of Public Accounts, a state office. He was elected in the subsequent state election, then was re-elected four years later. During these terms, Dubois moved to

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

, down the street from

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 ...

. In 1859, while serving as Auditor, Dubois reported to the legislature the discovery that the previous governor, Joel A. Matteson, had illegally redeemed thousands of dollars worth of canal scrip. Dubois provided evidence and testimony to the Senate Finance Committee and the

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

grand jury investigating what became known as the

Canal Scrip Fraud The Canal Scrip Fraud was a financial scandal that involved illegal redemption of canal scrip that had been issued by the state of Illinois to pay for construction of the Illinois–Michigan Canal. Canal scrip were IOUs the state had begun issui ...

. As a result of their ongoing investigation, the finance committee later uncovered a second scandal, the Macalister-Stebbins Bond Scandal. Dubois was a candidate for the Republican nomination in 1868 as

governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

, but the nomination went to John M. Palmer. DuBois was named to the Republican National Executive Committee in 1868. Later that year, he was a delegate to the

1868 Republican National Convention The 1868 Republican National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in Crosby's Opera House, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, on May 20 to May 21, 1868. Ulysses S. Grant won the election and became the 18th president of t ...

. Dubois was disappointed that he was never able to secure a patronage position from Lincoln for himself or his son-in-law James P. Luse. He lamented that " incolnhas for 30 years past just used me as a plaything to accomplish his own ends." Dubois died at his home in

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 ...

, on November 22, 1876, and 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 ...

in Springfield. His son

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

became one of the first United States senators from

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubois, Jesse K. 1811 births 1876 deaths Auditors of Public Accounts of Illinois Illinois Republicans Illinois Whigs 19th-century American politicians Members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Palestine, Illinois People from Lawrence County, Illinois People from Sangamon County, Illinois People from Springfield, Illinois