Augustus C. French

Augustus Chaflin French ( born August 2, 1808 in Hill, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, † September 4, 1864 in Lebanon, Illinois ) was an American politician (Democratic Party) and from 1846 to 1853 the 9th Governor of the State Illinois.

Early years and political rise

French attended Dartmouth College, but the school was unable to finish for financial reasons. Nevertheless, he managed later to study law. In 1823 he was admitted to the bar. Then he ran a thriving law firm in Illinois. Frenchs political rise began in 1837 with his election to the House of Representatives from Illinois. There he remained until 1839. Then he got a job in the land allocation authority in Palestine. In 1844 he was a member of the Electoral College, the James K. Polk elected as the new U.S. president. On August 3, 1846 he was elected governor of Illinois.

Governor of Illinois

Augustus French, took office on 9 December 1846. In his four-year tenure of the Mexican -American war went on, the Illinois supported with six regiments and some volunteer companies. The last Mormons left after the riots of the previous years the state toward Utah. The Illinois - Michigan Canal went into operation in 1848 and remained open until 1935. In Frenchs term, the expansion of the railway network continued. On the other hand, the governor had to cut some expenses to pay off the national debt. Also, a constitutional reform was decided which gave more powers to the governor and prescribed elections for all public offices. But the new constitution did not allow two contiguous terms of a governor. Therefore, he had to give up his post on 10 January 1853.

Further CV

After his governorship taught French law students at a college in Lebanon. At the same time, he worked for a bank. In 1862 he was one of a commission to revise the constitution of the state again. Augustus French died on 4 September 1864.