Zadok Casey (March 7, 1796 – September 4, 1862) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

who served as 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 ...

and founded the city of

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

Biography

Zadok Casey was born in

Greene County, Georgia Greene County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,915. The county seat is Greensboro. The county was created on February 3, 1786, and is named for Nathanael ...

. Not much is known about his early life. One story is that, as a young man, he witnessed a murder. Because he did not wish to testify, he fled to the frontier. Casey served as a

from

from 1833 to 1843. He founded the city of

around 1817. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1822 and to the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

in 1826, and was elected the fourth Lieutenant Governor in 1830. He served in the

Twenty-third United States Congress The 23rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1833 ...

(1833) through the

Twenty-seventh United States Congress The 27th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. between March 4, ...

(1843). He was a

Jacksonian Democrat Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, An ...

, and he was elected to his final term as an

Independent Democrat In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party (chooses to be an independent) or is denied the Democratic nomination ...

. He again served in the Illinois House from 1848 to 1852, serving as speaker in 1852, and in the State Senate from 1860 to 1862. Casey's popularity among his neighbors was such that he twice received the support of every other voter in Jefferson County — when he ran for the Senate in 1826 and for Lieutenant Governor in 1830, only one opposing vote was cast in either election, and that vote was Casey's own.Wall, John A. ''Wall's History of Jefferson County Illinois''. Indianapolis: Bowen, 1909, 57. He died in Caseyville, Illinois at age 66, and was interred at Old Union Cemetery in Mount Vernon.

Caseyville, Illinois

Caseyville, Illinois, was named after Zadok Casey due to his help to finance the Mississippi and Ohio Railroad which runs through the center of town. Casey Creek, a tributary of the

Big Muddy River The Big Muddy River is a river in southern Illinois. It joins the Mississippi River just south of Grand Tower. The Big Muddy has been dammed near Benton, forming Rend Lake. The Big Muddy has a mud bottom for most of its length. Hydrography T ...

, is also named for him, as are Casey Middle School and Casey Avenue in Mount Vernon.

References

External links

*
Perrin, History of Jefferson County, Illinois, 1883
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, Zadok 1796 births 1862 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Illinois Democratic Party Illinois state senators Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Mount Vernon, Illinois Illinois Jacksonians Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians Illinois Independents Independent Democrat members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois People from Greene County, Georgia