William Fithian (April 7, 1799 – April 5, 1890) was an American physician and politician reputedly born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Moving to Danville, Illinois after success in medicine, he became a supporter of the Whig Party. Fithian served in the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...

for ten years, mostly in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. A supporter of

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 ...

, Fithian was appointed a

Provost Marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

for the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Biography

William Fithian was born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, on April 7, 1799. One of America's Oldest Physicians, he trained as a printer, once typing a volume of enactments by the

Ohio General Assembly The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...

. With the money made from that job, he studied medicine. After three years, he was awarded a diploma. Under the state laws at the time, this also entitled him to be an Associate Justice of the county court. In 1826, he decided to move west to Danville, Illinois, then a town of a few hundred people. He would remain in Danville until his death. Fithian became involved with the local Whig Party. He 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 ...

in 1834, serving a two-year term. In 1838, he successfully ran for 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 ...

and served a pair of four-year terms. While serving in the legislature, he was frequently consulted by other members for medical advice. Fithian hired

as an attorney six times. Lincoln also advised Fithian on real estate transactions in two Illinois counties. When 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 ...

was formed in 1856, Fithian was named a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

. He campaigned on behalf of Lincoln for President in 1860. During the

, Lincoln appointed Fithian the

of the 7th Congressional District of Illinois. He also served as a civilian doctor, working in the hospital in Leetown near the Battle of Pea Ridge. At the end of the conflict, he returned to the practice of medicine. Fithian married four times and had two surviving sons. He continued to practice medicine until about two years before his death at the age of 90 on April 5, 1890. Fithian's House in Danville was recognized with a listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on May 1, 1975, and it is now the Vermilion County Museum. He is the namesake of

Fithian, Illinois Fithian is a village in Oakwood Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 485 at the 2010 census. History The town was named after Dr. William ...

, near Danville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fithian, William 1799 births 1890 deaths Illinois state senators Illinois Republicans Illinois Whigs 19th-century American politicians Members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Danville, Illinois People of Illinois in the American Civil War Politicians from Cincinnati Physicians from Illinois