Kentucky native served as Illinois governor
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 24, 2015) — The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) will dedicate a new historical marker Sept. 12 in Oldham County to commemorate the life of Richard James Oglesby, a Kentucky native and Illinois governor.
The ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. at the Brownsboro Community Center, 7701 Highway 329, Crestwood.
Oglesby was born in Floydsburg in Oldham County, in 1824. Three years after his father died in the 1833 cholera epidemic, the 12-year-old Oglesby moved to Illinois with an uncle. An 1848 graduate of the Louisville Law School and lawyer by trade, Oglesby was a military leader and politician. He served as an officer in both the Mexican War and in the Civil War, was in the Illinois State Senate for one term and was elected governor of Illinois three times, in 1864, 1872 and 1884. Sworn in for his second term in 1873 he served only 10 days before resigning to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate.
A close friend and supporter of Abraham Lincoln, Oglesby is credited with introducing Lincoln’s “rail-splitter’ image into the 1860 presidential campaign. He was married twice and had eight children.
More than 2,200 historical markers statewide tell Kentucky’s history. More information about the marker application process, a database of markers and their text and the Explore Kentucky History app, a virtual tour of markers by theme, is at history.ky.gov/markers. KHS administers the Kentucky Historical Marker Program in cooperation with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
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