Benjamin S. Edwards (June 3, 1818 – February 4, 1886) was an American lawyer, politician and judge.

Benjamin S. Edwards' Biography

Benjamin S. Edwards was born on June 3, 1818, in

Edwardsville, Illinois Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,808 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, former governor of the Illinois Te ...

, the son of

Ninian Edwards Ninian Edwards (March 17, 1775July 20, 1833) was an American political figure who was prominent in Illinois. He served as the first and only governor of the Illinois Territory from 1809 to until the territory earned statehood in 1818. He was then ...

, who was

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ...

1809-1818 and

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of 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 we ...

1826-1830. Edwards was educated at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, graduating in 1838. He then spent a year

reading law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship u ...

with Stephen T. Logan, before being

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 ...

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 ...

in March 1840. Edwards practiced law for three years, and then, in 1843, set up a law partnership with John T. Stuart that would ultimately last forty years. His law practice would bring him into regular contact with

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 ...

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) ...

, Edward Dickinson Baker, Jesse B. Thomas, and other prominent Illinois lawyers. Edwards gained a reputation as an excellent attorney. Edwards was active in the Whig Party. In 1862, he served as a delegate from

Sangamon County Sangamon County is a county located near the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 196,343. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is includ ...

to the Illinois

constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

that produced the so-called " Copperhead Constitution" that was ultimately defeated by the voters. Edwards was one of many Whigs who supported

over

as a U.S. senator from Illinois, believing that Douglas was more likely to save the Union. Edwards spent 1869-70 as a judge on Illinois' Thirtieth Judicial Circuit. In 1885, the year before his death, he was elected to serve as president of the

Illinois State Bar Association The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is among the largest voluntary state bar associations in the United States. Approximately 28,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISB ...

. Edwards was married to Helen K. Dodge, daughter of

Henry Dodge Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Bla ...

. Edwards' home in Springfield, where he lived from 1843 until his death, was an Illinois social center, and at various points Edwards entertained

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

Lyman Trumbull Lyman Trumbull (October 12, 1813 – June 25, 1896) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who represented the state of Illinois in the United States Senate from 1855 to 1873. Trumbull was a leading abolitionist attorney and key polit ...

John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a Secretary to the President of the United States, private secretary for Abraha ...

, Sidney Breese, and other well-known Illinois political figures. In the pre-Civil War period, Edwards routinely hosted annual "legislative parties" that were attended by all members of the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

. Edwards' home was left to his daughter, who deeded it to the Springfield Art Association in 1913.

References

Profile from www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org

Benjamin S. Edwards Place

Edwards Place website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Benjamin S. 1818 births 1886 deaths People from Edwardsville, Illinois Illinois lawyers Illinois Whigs Illinois state court judges American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century Illinois state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Members of Illinois constitutional conventions