Zadok Casey (March 7, 1796 – September 4, 1862) was an American politician who served as a U.S. representative 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 ...

and founded the city of Mount Vernon, Illinois.

Biography

Zadok Casey was born in Greene County, Georgia. Not much is known about his early life, but many accounts attest to his father, Randolph Casey, serving in the Revolutionary War alongside

Francis Marion Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the "Swamp Fox", was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Indian War and t ...

before moving the Casey family to Tennessee in 1800. The younger Casey came to Illinois in 1817 with his wife, son, and widowed mother. He was a founder of the city of Mount Vernon around 1817. A Wesleyan, Casey spent some time as a preacher starting in his youth, and he helped to establish the Society of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

in Mount Vernon where he preached the church's first services. In 1819, Casey played a major role in the organization of Jefferson County, Illinois and started his officeholding career by serving on its first Board of County Commissioners. After failing to win an election to 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 ...

in 1820, he secured victories to the Illinois House in the 1822 and 1824 elections. In 1826, he won a seat in 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 ...

where he served until 1830 when he was elected as Illinois's fourth

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 ...

. Following the 1830 United States Census, Illinois was apportioned three seats, an increase of two seats. Casey successfully ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives for the newly created second district in the election of 1832. During his time in Congress, Casey was able to help secure a land grant to finance the creation of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

. He served for five terms in office before losing re-election in 1842 to John A. McClernand. Originally serving as a Jacksonian Democrat during his first four terms, he served his final term in the House of Representatives as an Independent Democrat. After defeat, he served as a delegate to the state constitutional conventions of 1847 and 1862. While serving in the Illinois House of Representatives, Casey had also voted in support of a proposed state constitutional convention in 1824. Supporters of this convention were attempting to draft a constitution that would allow for the expansion of slavery in Illinois. The document drafted at 1862 convention is sometimes referred to as the " Copperhead Constitution" in reference to the dominance of anti- Lincoln administration Democrats at the convention. He again served in the Illinois House from 1848 to 1852, serving as speaker from 1849 to 1851, and again in the Illinois State Senate from 1860 to 1862. Casey's popularity among his neighbors was such that in his State House elections in 1822 and 1824, as well as his election as Lieutenant Governor in 1830 received the support of every voter in Jefferson County other than his own vote.Wall, John A. ''Wall's History of Jefferson County Illinois''.

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

: Bowen, 1909, 57. He died in Caseyville, Illinois at age 66, and was interred at Old Union Cemetery in Mount Vernon.

Caseyville, Illinois

Caseyville, Illinois, was named after Zadok Casey due to his help to finance what eventually became the Ohio and Mississippi Railway (later operated by

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

) which ran through the center of town. Casey Creek, a tributary of the Big Muddy River, is also named for him, as are Casey Middle School and Casey Avenue in Mount Vernon.

References

External links

Perrin, History of Jefferson County, Illinois, 1883
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, Zadok 1796 births 1862 deaths Lieutenant governors of Illinois Democratic Party Illinois state senators Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Mount Vernon, Illinois Illinois Jacksonians Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives Illinois independents Independent Democrat members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois People from Greene County, Georgia 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly