Raphael Widen (died 1833) was an

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 ...

pioneer and politician. He is thought to have been the first Swedish-American to reside in what would become the state of Illinois. He was first recorded in the state in 1814, when he was appointed a justice of the peace. Widen served four years 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 four years 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

Raphael Widen's birth date and place are unknown. Little is known of his early life. His family moved from Sweden to France when he was eight so that he could study to be a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest. He immigrated to the United States at an unknown date. He was the first Swede known to have lived in Illinois. While living in Cahokia,

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ca ...

, Widen was appointed

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 ...

of St. Clair County on January 12, 1814. In December 1818, he moved to Kaskaskia, where he became a justice in

Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States: *Randolph County, Alabama *Randolph County, Arkansas *Randolph County, Georgia *Randolph County, Illinois *Randolph County, Indiana *Randolph County, Missouri *Randolph County, Nort ...

. He held the role there until at least 1831. In 1820, he was elected to the

. He served until 1824, when he was elected to the

. He served as

President of the Illinois Senate The President of the Illinois Senate is the presiding officer of the Illinois Senate, the upper house of the Illinois General Assembly. The post dates from the General Assembly's 32nd session, in 1881. From 1881 to 1973, the lieutenant governor wa ...

during one of its sessions in January 1826. In the Illinois legislature, Widen was an opponent of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. It is thought that Widen met

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemasonry, freemason and military officer who fought in the Ameri ...

in Kaskaskia; Lafayette refers to an "Edward Widen", though this is thought to actually be Raphael. Raphael Widen married Frances Lalemier in Cahokia, Illinois, in 1818. He died from

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

in Kaskaskia in 1833, after a cholera epidemic came through the area carried by

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

's troops during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

. His widow afterwards married Capt. E. Walker. She died in Chester, Illinois in 1874. The Chicago History Museum holds eleven of Widen's manuscripts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Widen, Raphael 1833 deaths Illinois state senators Members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Kaskaskia, Illinois Swedish emigrants to the United States Deaths from cholera in the United States Year of birth unknown People from Cahokia, Illinois