William St. John Forman (January 20, 1847 – June 10, 1908) was a

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 ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

Early life

Born in Natchez, Mississippi, Forman moved with his father to Nashville,

Washington County, Illinois Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 14,716. Its county seat is Nashville. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as " Little Egypt". Histo ...

, in 1851. He attended the public schools, and Washington Seminary, Richview, Illinois. He studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1870, and commenced practice in

Nashville, Illinois Nashville is a city in Washington County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,105. It is the county seat of Washington County. Geography Nashville is located at (38.348076, -89.381660). According to the 2 ...

Career

He served as mayor of Nashville, Illinois from 1878 to 1884, and was a delegate to all State and National Democratic Conventions from 1876 to 1896. He was a member of the Illinois Senate from 1884 to 1888. Forman was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses (March 4, 1889 - March 3, 1895). He served as chairman of the Committee on Militia during the Fifty-third Congress. Forman moved to

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a b ...

in 1895, where he resumed practicing law. He was an unsuccessful candidate as a Gold Standard Democrat for election as governor in 1896. He was appointed by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

Commissioner of Internal Revenue The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury. The office of Commissioner was created by Congress as part of the Revenue Act of 1862. Section ...

and served from 1896 to 1897. Forman died in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metro ...

on June 10, 1908. He was interred in Masonic Cemetery,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forman, William St. John 1847 births 1908 deaths Politicians from Natchez, Mississippi People from Nashville, Illinois Commissioners of Internal Revenue Illinois lawyers Democratic Party Illinois state senators Mayors of places in Illinois Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American politicians