John Edgar (ca. 1750–1832) was an Illinois pioneer and politician. He was born in Ireland. In 1776, he was the commander of a British ship in the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
. He resigned from the British Navy rather than fight against the Americans.
Edgar settled at
Fort Kaskaskia
Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site is a 200-acre (0.8 km²) park near Chester, Illinois, on a blufftop overlooking the Mississippi River. It commemorates the vanished frontier town of '' Old Kaskaskia'' and the support it gave to George ...
in 1784. He became a merchant, and built a flour mill. He shipped large quantities of flour from Illinois to
.
Edgar was an Illinois delegate to the Legislature of the
Northwest Territory. He also served as Justice of the Peace and Judge in Kaskaskia.
In his time, Edgar was believed to have been the wealthiest man in Illinois. He held many large land claims around the State.
Edgar County, Illinois
Edgar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 16,866. Its county seat is Paris.
History
Edgar County was formed out of Clark County in 1823. It was named for John Edgar ...
was named in his honor.
Although he probably never went there, there is an old story that he once bought and then sold the entire County.
Notes
Sources
* History of McKendree College, Walton, 1928
1750 births
1832 deaths
People from Kaskaskia, Illinois
Northwest Territory House of Representatives
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