William McMurtry

William McMurtry ( born February 20, 1801 Mercer County, Kentucky, † April 10, 1875 in Henderson, Illinois ) was an American politician. Between 1849 and 1853 he was Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois.

Career

About the youth and education of William McMurtry nothing is handed down. Between 1818 and 1829 he lived in Crawford County, Indiana. Then he moved into the Knox County in Illinois. Professionally, he was a farmer. During the Black Hawk War he set up a troupe of 70 to 90 men he commanded as a captain himself. Politically, McMurtry joined the Democratic Party. Between 1836 and 1840 he was a delegate in the House of Representatives from Illinois; 1842 to 1849 he was a member of the State Senate.

McMurtry was elected in 1848 on the side of Augustus French for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. This post he held between 8 January 1849, 10 January 1853. Yet he was assistant to the governor. In 1854 he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives. At the outbreak of the civil war he placed the 102nd Illinois Infantry Regiment on which he commanded for several months as Colonel himself. Then he had to quit for health reasons, military service. He died on 10 April 1875 in Henderson.