John Rice Eden (February 1, 1826 – June 9, 1909) was an American lawyer and politician who a total of five terms served as 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 ...

during three non-consecutive stints between 1863 and 1887.

Early life and career

Born in

Bath County, Kentucky Bath County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,750. The county seat is Owingsville. The county was formed in 1811. Bath County is included in the Mount Sterling, KY Micropolitan ...

, Eden moved with his parents to Indiana. He attended public schools, and later 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 ...

in 1853 at

Shelbyville, Illinois Shelbyville is a city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Illinois, Shelby County, Illinois, United States, along the Kaskaskia River. As of the 2020 census, the population was at 4,674. HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, located in town, is the c ...

and commenced practice in

Sullivan, Illinois Sullivan is the largest city and the county seat of Moultrie County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,413 at the time of the 2020 census. Sullivan is named after Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, where Fort Moultrie is located. H ...

. He served as prosecuting attorney for the seventeenth judicial district of Illinois 1856-1860.

Congress

Eden 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-eighth Congress (March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864 to the Thirty-ninth Congress. He was an unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor of Illinois in 1868. Eden was elected to the Forty-third, Forty-fourth, and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879). He served as chairman of the Committee on War Claims (Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1878. He resumed the practice of law in

. Eden was elected to the Forty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1886.

Later career and death

He again engaged in the practice of law. He died in

, June 9, 1909. He was interred in Greenhill Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eden, John Rice 1826 births 1909 deaths Illinois lawyers People of Illinois in the American Civil War Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois People from Bath County, Kentucky People from Sullivan, Illinois 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives