Adam Wilson Snyder (October 6, 1799 – May 14, 1842) 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 ...

as well as a member of the Illinois militia 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", cros ...

Early life

Adam W. Snyder was born in

Connellsville, Pennsylvania Connellsville is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Pittsburgh and away via the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,637 at t ...

on October 6, 1799. He moved to Cahokia, Illinois in 1817 and studied law. By 1820 he had been

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 ...

and commenced practicing in Cahokia. He was appointed

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

for the first judicial district in 1822, a position which he resigned in 1823. In the lead up to the

, from 1824 to 1832 Snyder worked in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

Black Hawk War and political career

Snyder served as a member of the Illinois Senate in 1830 and was reelected in 1832. During the Black Hawk War he served as a captain in the Illinois militia. During the war he was involved as a commander at the first

Battle of Kellogg's Grove The Battle of Kellogg's Grove is either of two minor battles, or skirmishes, fought during the Black Hawk War in the U.S. state of Illinois, in present-day Stephenson County at and near Kellogg's Grove. In the first skirmish, also known as the ...

.Lewis, James.
The Black Hawk War of 1832
," Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University'', 2000. Retrieved 26 July 2007. He moved to Belleville, Illinois in 1833 where he was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1834 to the

24th United States Congress The 24th 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, 1835 ...

. Adam Wilson Snyder was eventually 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 25th U.S. Congress and served from March 4, 1837–March 3, 1839. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1838. Following his time in national office Snyder was again elected to the Illinois Senate in 1840 but resigned in 1841. He was nominated as a candidate for

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

, but died in Belleville before the election. He was interred in nearby Green Mount Cemetery.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, Adam Wilson 1799 births 1842 deaths Democratic Party Illinois state senators People from Cahokia, Illinois American people of the Black Hawk War Illinois lawyers American militia officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Military personnel from Illinois