Pleasant Thomas Chapman (October 8, 1854 – January 31, 1931) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Born on a farm near

Vienna, Illinois Vienna ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Illinois, United States, and it is the site of two well-known state penitentiaries. The population of Vienna was 1,343 at the 2020 census. History Vienna was originally an Indian ...

, Chapman attended the public schools, and then went to

McKendree College McKendree University (McK), formerly McKendree College, is a private university in Lebanon, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1828 as the "Lebanon Seminary", it is the oldest college or university in Illinois. The school was renamed McKendree ...

, in

Lebanon, Illinois Lebanon is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,691 at the 2020 census It is a part of the Metro East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Lebanon is home to McKendree University, the oldest ...

. Chapman graduated from McKendree in June, 1876. He taught school while studying law, and served as superintendent of public schools of Johnson County from 1877 to 1882. He 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 ...

Mount Vernon, Illinois Mount Vernon is a city in Jefferson County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,600 at the 2020 census. Mount Vernon is the principal city of the Mount Vernon, Illinois micropolitan area, which includes all of ...

, in 1878 and commenced

practice Practice or practise may refer to: Education and learning * Practice (learning method), a method of learning by repetition * Phantom practice, phenomenon in which a person's abilities continue to improve, even without practicing * Practice-based ...

. He also engaged in banking and in agricultural pursuits. He served as judge of Johnson County from 1882 to 1890. He was a member of 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 th ...

from 1890 to 1902. Chapman was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-ninth. He was reelected to the Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses, and served from March 4, 1905, to March 3, 1911. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1910 to the Sixty-second Congress. After leaving Congress Chapman resumed his legal, banking, business and farming interests. He was a delegate to the

1924 Republican National Convention The 1924 Republican National Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Public Auditorium, from June 10 to 12. Incumbent President Calvin Coolidge was nominated for a full term and went on to win the general election. The convention nomina ...

. He died in Vienna on January 31, 1931, and was interred in Vienna's Fraternal Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Pleasant Thomas 1854 births 1931 deaths People from Vienna, Illinois Illinois state court judges Republican Party Illinois state senators Illinois lawyers McKendree University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois School superintendents in Illinois 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly