Newton R. Casey (January 27, 1826 – June 6, 1899) was an American doctor and 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 ...

. A son of

Zadok Casey Zadok Casey (March 7, 1796 – September 4, 1862) was an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Illinois and founded the city of Mount Vernon. Biography Zadok Casey was born in Greene County, Georgia. Not much is know ...

, Casey attended

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

and practiced medicine in Benton and

Mount Vernon, Illinois Mount Vernon is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,600 at the 2020 census. Mount Vernon is the principal city of the Mount Vernon Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all o ...

. In 1858, he moved to the newly established Mound City, Illinois, where he became their longtime mayor. A supporter of

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

, Casey was elected to three 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 ...

Biography

Newton R. Casey was born in Jefferson County, Illinois on January 27, 1826. He was the son of

, the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (1830–1833) and a five-term

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 ...

. His brothers were Samuel K., Thomas S., and John R. Casey. Casey attended public schools until 1838, when his father sent him to Hillsboro Academy. Two years later he studied at Mount Vernon Academy, and then was accepted to

in 1842. Casey graduated three years later and returned to

to study medicine under Dr. John W. Corwin. In 1847, Casey moved to Benton, Illinois and founded a medical practice with a Dr. Towns. Casey practiced in Benton for a year before again returning to Mount Vernon. He attended courses at the

Missouri Medical College Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, 604 of which are pursuing a medical degree with o ...

in 1856–1857, receiving a medical degree. He then moved to Mound City, Illinois, a city founded by his father-in-law three years earlier. Casey was elected to the city council the next year and was elected mayor in 1859. He held the office of mayor until 1874. Casey was a delegate to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 t ...

, supporting eventual candidate

. When the Mound City Civil War Naval Hospital was founded in 1861, Casey volunteered his services. He eventually was named assistant surgeon, and held that position for most of his life. In 1866, Casey was nominated by the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

for a seat on the

. He was re-elected two years later. In both terms, Casey was the Democratic nominee for Speaker of the House, but the

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 ...

held the majority in both sessions and Casey was defeated. Although defeated in a re-election bid following the 1870 state redistricting, he was re-elected in 1872. He was again nominated and defeated in a bid for Speaker. During this term, he successfully rallied support to build a monument at

Mound City National Cemetery Mound City National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near Mound City, in Pulaski County, Illinois. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 8,098 interments. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans A ...

. Casey largely retired from politics in 1874 to focus on his medical practice, though he was elected to one more term as Mound City mayor in the 1880s. Casey married Flora Rawlings on December 4, 1847. They had three children: Ida M., Frank R., and Maude H. Casey died in Mound City, Illinois after a brief illness.''Newton R. Casey Dead,' The Inter Ocean (Chicago, Illinois), June 7, 1899, p. 1

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, N. R. 1826 births 1899 deaths Illinois city council members Mayors of places in Illinois Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Ohio University alumni Washington University School of Medicine alumni People from Mount Vernon, Illinois People from Mound City, Illinois People from Benton, Illinois Physicians from Illinois 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Illinois politicians