Clark Robinson Griggs (March 6, 1824 – December 7, 1915) was a member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents i ...

. Griggs previously served two terms in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

before moving to

Champaign County, Illinois Champaign County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, its population was 205,865, making it the 10th-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Urbana, Ill ...

in 1859. He also enlisted and served as a

sutler A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts. Sutler wa ...

in the Union Army during 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 ...

Biography

Clark Robinson Griggs was born in

North Adams, Massachusetts North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census. Best known as the home of the largest contempor ...

on March 6, 1824. He grew up on a farm in Brimfield, and worked in a shoe and boot factory. He was a member of the

from 1857 to 1858. At the beginning of the Civil War, he attempted to join the 25th Illinois Infantry, but was denied a combat role because of the loss of three fingers on his right hand. He instead became a

for the regiment. After the war, he was elected mayor of

in 1866, and was a member of the

from 1867 to 1868. Griggs was extremely influential in the decision to locate the Illinois Industrial University, which would later become the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

. He started with $40,000 appropriated by the Supervisors of Champaign and Urbana Townships and traveled throughout Illinois meeting with elected officials. In a period of five weeks, he had met with 40 Members of the Illinois House, 15 of which pledged their support. Griggs then met with the

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 ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and the Chairmen of the state Democratic and Republican parties. For a period of 3 months after the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

went into session in 1867 Griggs maintained a reception room and suite of parlors and bedrooms at the Leland Hotel in Springfield, where legislators and their constituents were entertained with drinks, light refreshments, or dinners of oyster or quail. Legislators were also supplied with cigars and theater tickets. Griggs further arranged for a special train to take legislators to Champaign-Urbana late in the session. He then ran for Speaker; and after a two-day period of repeated voting, he agreed to drop out of the race in exchange for the Chairmanship of the Committee on Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, the committee that would hear all bills regarding the location of the university, and the right to choose the committee's members. Griggs called the committee to order several times, while privately telling the members not to attend; and when asked why legislation regarding the location of the university was not being heard in the committee, Griggs replied that he had called the committee to order but had been unable to achieve a quorum. Legislation eventually reached the House floor naming Champaign as the site of the new university. Separate motions were made to amend the bill, the first substituting

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, the second Normal, and the third Lincoln. (Illinois State Normal University, which was nationally admired and would later become

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

, had already been established in Normal 10 years prior—in 1857.) All three motions to amend failed, the measure was approved by the House and Senate; and Governor Richard James Oglesby signed the bill into law three days later. Griggs was president of the

Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway The Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway was a railroad that once operated in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Its immediate predecessor, the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway, was formed on July 20, 1869, from the merger of the Ind ...

for three years. He died at his home in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York on December 7, 1915, and was buried at

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...

Notes

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Griggs, Clark Robinson 1824 births 1915 deaths University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign people Politicians from Hampden County, Massachusetts People from Urbana, Illinois People of Illinois in the American Civil War Mayors of places in Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Union army soldiers American railroad executives Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century Illinois politicians 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court

Biography

See also

Notes

References