Amos Graham (March 14, 1816 – September 14, 1865) was the first

Nodaway County, Missouri Nodaway County is a county located in the northwest part of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,241. Its county seat is Maryville. The county was organized February 14, 1845, and is named for the Nodaway River. It is the l ...

, clerk. Graham is immortalized in the town of

Graham, Missouri Graham is a city in southwestern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 147 at the 2020 census. History Graham was originally called Jacksonville, and under the latter name was platted in 1856. The present name is after C ...

, as it is named after him. The town of

Maryville, Missouri Maryville is a city and county seat of Nodaway County, Missouri, Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. Located in the "Missouri Point" region, As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 10,633. Maryville is home ...

, is named after his wife, Mary. Graham was born and raised in

Washington County, Kentucky Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,027. Its county seat is Springfield. The county is named for George Washington. Washington County was the first county formed i ...

. He studied

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and became a

schoolteacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, moving to

Hancock County, Illinois Hancock County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it has a population of 17,620. Its county seat is Carthage, Illinois, Carthage, and its largest city is H ...

, in 1836 to teach. He returned to Washington County, Kentucky, and in 1839 or 1840 ran an unsuccessful campaign for state representative in the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in th ...

. He married Mary Jane House on January 9, 1842, and moved to

Savannah, Missouri Savannah is a city and county seat of Andrew County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,069 at the 2020 census. History Savannah was founded in 1841. The city was named after Savannah Woods, the child of a first settler. A post offi ...

, during the early settlement days of the

Platte Purchase The Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from American Indian tribes of the region. It comprised lands along the east bank of the Missouri River and added to the northwest corner of the state of Misso ...

territory, where he continued his teaching career. Graham became one of the original settlers of Nodaway County. He was appointed county clerk when Nodaway County organized on February 14, 1845, and served until 1858 and was said to be the first

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

in the newly created town of Maryville. Amos Graham held several political offices in Nodaway County:

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

Circuit Clerk Circuit may refer to: Science and technology Electrical engineering * Electrical circuit, a complete electrical network with a closed-loop giving a return path for current ** Analog circuit, uses continuous signal levels ** Balanced circui ...

, County Clerk, Postmaster, and County Recorder. During the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

, he held the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the Missouri Militia, but his unit was never deployed to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

nor saw military action. He represented Nodaway County in the

Missouri General Assembly The Missouri General Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Missouri Senate, Senate and a 163-member Missouri House of Represen ...

in1860-1861 at the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Although a plurality of county voters supported

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...

in the

1860 United States Presidential Election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 1860. The Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged victorious in a four-way race. With an electoral majority composed only of Northern states ...

, Graham was elected

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

on the Breckinridge States' Rights Democratic ticket when he convinced supporters of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

to vote in his favor.

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

held a Constitutional Convention in 1861 following the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, to consider seceding from the Union. Graham was a southern sympathizer and voted for Missouri's secession from the Union. However, the motion was defeated and Missouri officially remained in the Union. Graham left the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

after his single term and did not run for office again. He died on September 14, 1865, of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

References

External links

Rootsweb biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Amos 1816 births 1865 deaths County clerks in Missouri People from Nodaway County, Missouri People from Savannah, Missouri People from Maryville, Missouri 19th-century members of the Missouri General Assembly