William Joshua Phelps (March 2, 1808 – February 20, 1883) was an American politician from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. Settling in Peoria County, Illinois, in 1834, Phelps became a prosperous miner 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 ...

. Phelps' house was the namesake of Elmwood and Elmwood Township, Illinois. Descended from the colonist William Phelps, William J. Phelps is the father of William E. Phelps.

Biography

William Joshua Phelps was born in Burlington, Connecticut, on March 2, 1808. He descended from William Phelps, who came to the United States in 1630 and was active in colonial government. He attended public school and worked on a farm during summers. He also attended a private academy. Phelps married Olivia B. Johnson on September 10, 1834. During his adulthood, Phelps would travel during winters for business. On one of these trips, he found an appealing area of

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 ...

and decided to move west and settle with his new wife. He arrived in Peoria County, Illinois, in October 1834. Phelps owned over in the county. The land was rich in coal, which Phelps was able to ship out through the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad (later the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy). Phelps donated the land for the railroad's right-of-way. In 1835, Phelps was elected a

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 ...

, and a year later he was named a county commissioner. Phelps was elected to the

as a Whig in 1840, serving one two-year term. He defeated his opponent,

Norman H. Purple Norman Higgins Purple (March 29, 1803 – August 9, 1863) was an American jurist. Born in Exeter, Otsego County, New York, Purple studied law in Tioga and Wayne Counties, Pennsylvania and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1830. In 1837 ...

, by only seven votes. In 1866, Phelps founded a coal mining partnership with James Lee. The company eventually employed between 100 and 200 men. Phelps built a mansion near the mines and train station, which he named Elmwood after the surrounding grove of elm trees. When Phelps finally succeeded in securing a post office for the settlement in 1854, the town and township were named Elmwood and Elmwood Township. He had three children, though one died in infancy. His son William E. Phelps also served in the Illinois House. Phelps died on February 20, 1883, and was buried in Elmwood Township Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, William J. 1808 births 1883 deaths Illinois Whigs 19th-century American politicians Members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Burlington, Connecticut People from Elmwood, Illinois