Nathaniel Pope (January 5, 1784 – January 23, 1850) was an American government leader in the early history of the

State 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 west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. He served as the Secretary 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 ...

, then as a Delegate to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from the Illinois Territory, and for over thirty years as the

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

for the

United States District Court for the District of Illinois The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

Early life and education

Born on January 5, 1784, in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

in what was then District of Kentucky,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

(but became

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

in his lifetime), to the former Penelope Sanford Edwards (1757-) and her husband Col. William H. Pope (1740–1825). Although the youngest boy in his family, Pope could trace his ancestors in Virginia back to around 1650 when Nathaniel Pope moved from strife-torn Maryland into what became called the Northern Neck of Virginia, as did Humphrey Pope and James Pope, probably his brothers. Both this man's parents had been born in

Westmoreland County, Virginia Westmoreland County is a County (United States), county located in the Northern Neck of the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross, Virginia, Montross ...

, as had his grandfather Worden Pope (1705–1748) and great-grandfather Nathaniel Pope III (1660–1719, sometime called "Bridges" after another of his thrice-widowed mother's husbands), although his grandmother Hester Netherton Pope was born in what was then

Stafford County, Virginia Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is approximately south of Washington, D.C. It is part of the Northern Virginia region, and the D.C area. It is one of the fastest-growing and highest-income counties in ...

. Although the Pope family was well-established in Virginia, its members would only begin holding statewide office after the Revolutionary War, in which they supported the Patriot cause under the leadership of their neighbor, George Washington (whose distant ancestor John Washington had married the daughter of one of the earliest men named Nathaniel Pope. His eldest brother John Pope (1770–1845) was born in

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204, making it Virginia's second most populous county. The county seat is the independent city of Manassas. A part ...

and would also become a lawyer and hold high political office, including in both houses of the Kentucky legislature as well as the U.S. Congress before becoming governor of the

Arkansas Territory The Arkansas Territory was a organized incorporated territory of the United States, territory of the United States from July 4, 1819, to June 15, 1836, when the final extent of Arkansas Territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the ...

. Other brothers included William H. Pope Jr (1775–1844) who was born as the family continued moving westward into

Fauquier County, Virginia Fauquier County is a county (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton, Virginia, Warrenton. Fa ...

, and Alexander Pope (1781–1826) and Nathaniel Pope (1784–1850), both of whom were born as the family moved to

in what became the state of Kentucky when he was a boy. His birth family included several sisters who survived to adulthood and married including Penelope Edwards Oldham (1769–1821), Jane Pope Field (1772–1852; also born in Fauquier County) and Hester Pope Edwards (1788–1868; born in Louisville). After a private education appropriate to his class, Nathaniel Pope attended

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...

, then

read 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 un ...

in 1804.

Early career

Admitted to the bar, Nathaniel Pope entered private practice in Ste. Genevieve,

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of t ...

(now part of

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 ...

) in 1804. He later moved across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

to practice in

Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in ...

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by an organic act that President of the United States, President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an Historic regions of the United States, organized incor ...

, which became part of

on March 1, 1809. When the Illinois Territory was created, President

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

appointed Kentucky politician John Boyle as the Territorial Governor and Pope as the Territorial Secretary. Boyle resigned after three weeks to become Kentucky's Chief Justice and was succeeded by Ninian Edwards. Edwards, a lawyer and Maryland politician who had moved to Kentucky and then the Illinois Territory, was related to Pope's mother. Pope served as territorial secretary from 1809 to 1816. He was acting Governor of the Illinois Territory in 1809. He was an Illinois Territorial Militia officer in 1812. Pope was a member of the

Democratic-Republican party The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...

Congressional service

Pope was elected on September 5, 1816, as a Delegate to the

for a term of two years, serving in the 14th and

15th United States Congress The 15th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

es from December 2, 1816, to November 30, 1818. He was a register for the

United States General Land Office The General Land Office (GLO) was an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government responsible for Public domain (land), public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 ...

in Edwardsville, Illinois Territory (State 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 west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

from December 3, 1818) from November 30, 1818, to March 3, 1819.

Notable legislation

Pope was instrumental both in securing the new territory's admission as the 21st State on December 3, 1818 (the statehood resolution passed regardless of the creative counting to achieve the former minimum of 60,000 persons) as well as in adjusting the new state's northern boundary from the southern extremity of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

extending it north to the 42° 30' parallel. Adding the land now included in the thirteen northern counties became very important for Illinois' development, because it included what was to become its largest city (Chicago), although it also slowed

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

's qualification for admission to the Union. Furthermore, Pope drafted the statehood resolution to ensure that 2% of land sales would be used to fund roads and 3% to fund schools, unlike the previous statehood resolutions which required 5% to be used to fund roads.

Federal judicial service

Pope was nominated by President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

on March 3, 1819, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 3 Stat. 502. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on March 3, 1819, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on January 23, 1850, due to his death in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri. He was interred in the Colonel O’Fallon Burying Ground and later reinterred at the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Unsuccessful campaign

Pope was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the

in 1824.

Honor

Pope County, Illinois, was named for Pope, as was the recently closed Nathaniel Pope Elementary School in North Lawndale,

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 ...

, Illinois.

References

Sources

"Nathaniel Pope:From Connections and Factional Politics to Champion of Statehood"
from ''Illinois History'', December 1993 *

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Nathaniel 1784 births 1850 deaths 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Territory Illinois Democratic-Republicans Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Illinois People from Edwardsville, Illinois People from Kaskaskia, Illinois Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Transylvania University alumni United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law United States federal judges appointed by James Monroe