Anthony Lausett Knapp (June 14, 1828 – May 24, 1881) 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 ...

, brother of Robert McCarty Knapp. Born in

Middletown, New York Middletown is the largest Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Orange County, New York, Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk ...

, Knapp moved with his parents to Illinois in 1839 and settled in the city of Jerseyville. He completed preparatory studies and then studied law. 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 ...

and commenced practice in Jerseyville. He served as member of the

Illinois 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 ...

1859-1861. Knapp 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the

Thirty-seventh Congress The 37th 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, 1861 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John A. McClernand. He was reelected to the Thirty-eighth Congress and served from December 12, 1861, to March 3, 1865. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1864. He moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1865 and to

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

, in 1867 and continued the practice of law. He died in

, May 24, 1881. He was interred in Springfield Cemetery. He was reinterred in Oak Grove Cemetery in Jerseyville.

Early life

Born on June 14, 1828 in Orange County, New York, Knapp moved with his family to

Greene County, Illinois Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 11,843. Its county seat is Carrollton. A notable archaeological area, the Koster Site, has produced evidence ...

with his parents at age eleven in 1839. The family remained there for five years before moving to Jerseyville, where the father, Augustus, became a top physician. In 1847, at age nineteen, Knapp had served as a private secretary to Governor Augustus French, a Democrat. In June 1849, at age twenty, Knapp along with his uncle Charles wrote a letter to

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 ...

, in support of Lincoln's efforts to secure himself a political job as the

Commissioner of the General Land Office The United States General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812, and it merged with the United States Grazing Service in 1946 to beco ...

in Washington. Lincoln had written to Knapp's father two days earlier asking for support. Knapp wrote to Lincoln that he, "accept the assurance of our best wishes for your success, and believe we remain very respectfully yours." The job ultimately went to Chicago attorney, Justin Butterfield.

Politics

As a member of the House, Knapp routinely voted against Lincoln and his administration's policies. He was often aligned with the Copperhead congressman from Ohio,

Clement Vallandigham Clement Laird Vallandigham ( ; July 29, 1820 – June 17, 1871) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the leader of the Copperhead (politics), Copperhead faction of Opposition to the American Civil War, anti-war History of the Unit ...

. One modern writer states, "compared to is predecessor McClernand, Knapp sounded too concerned with opposing President Lincoln and less committed to the war effort."Allardice,"'Illinois is Rotten with Traitors!' The Republican Defeat in the 1862 State Election" ''Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society'', 100.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Anthony Lausett 1828 births 1881 deaths Politicians from Springfield, Illinois People from Jerseyville, Illinois Democratic Party Illinois state senators Illinois lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois People from Middletown, Orange County, New York 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly