John Messinger

American politician

Not to be confused with John L. Messenger.

John Messinger (January 4, 1771 – September 16, 1846) was an American pioneer, politician, teacher, and surveyor who was the first Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. Born in Massachusetts, Messinger was educated in Vermont and married the daughter of Matthew Lyon. He left with Lyon to Kentucky, but disagreed with his stance on slavery and came to the Indiana Territory in 1802. He served in the Indiana Territorial Legislature and advocated for the creation of the Illinois Territory. When the state of Illinois was created in 1818, he co-authored its constitution and served in its first General Assembly as Speaker of the House. Messinger was also a prominent surveyor, establishing what is now the state line between Illinois and Wisconsin on behalf of the U.S. government.[1]

## Biography

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John Messinger was born in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on January 4, 1771. In 1783, his family moved to Vermont. There, Messinger attained an education and showed skill with mathematics. He held a number of jobs in Vermont including carpenter, builder, teacher, mill-wright, and farmer. He married Anne Lyon, a daughter of Col. Matthew Lyon, a member of the United States House of Representatives. At the time, Lyon was being persecuted via the Alien and Sedition Acts so he decided to move, with Messinger, to Kentucky near the mouth of the Cumberland River. Lyon became a prosperous slave trader, but this irked anti-slavery Messinger and his brother-in-law George Cadwell. Cadwell and Messenger moved to the Indiana Territory in 1802, settling near New Design in what is now Monroe County, Illinois.[1]

Messinger operated a gristmill on Rockhouse Creek. He moved to Clinton Hill in 1806, where he lived for the rest of his life. Messinger's education was appreciated by his fellow pioneers, particularly for his surveying skills. Aside from the mill, Messinger worked as a teacher, cartographer, carpenter, cabinetmarker, and farmer. He surveyed most of St. Clair and Madison Counties. He was also commissioned to survey the military land between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. With Philip Creamer, Messinger opened a shop manufacturing surveyors' compasses.[1]

Messinger served in the Indiana Territorial legislature in 1808 and advocated for the creation of the Illinois Territory. He was named postmaster of Clinton Hill the next year. Messinger was considered a leading citizen of Illinois when the state was organized in 1818. He represented Illinois when the state line with the Territory of Michigan was formed, now the state line with Wisconsin.[1][2] He was appointed a delegate to the first constitutional convention, making him a co-author of the Constitution of Illinois. He was then elected to the Illinois House of Representatives for the 1st Illinois General Assembly, where he also served as the first Speaker of the House. The two-year term was the last political office he held.[1][2]

He published A Manual or Handbook of Practical Surveying in 1821. Messinger became a mathematics teacher at John Mason Peck's Rock Spring seminary in 1827. He fought in the Black Hawk War.

Messinger died on September 16, 1846.[1] He was buried in Messinger Cemetery in Swansea, Illinois.

## External links

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* the Messinger Cemetery & Schoolhouse, Swansea, Illinois

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f Allen, John W. (1968). It Happened in Southern Illinois. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University. pp. 22–23.
2. ^ a b Weber, Jessie Palmer, ed. (1920). The Centennial of the State of Illinois. Springfield, IL: Illinois State Journal Co. p. 339.

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Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives

* Messinger
* McLean
* Alexander
* Mather
* Blackwell
* McLean
* Ewing
* Jenkins
* Semple
* Ewing
* Hackleton
* Richardson
* Cloud
* Casey
* Breese
* Reynolds
* Turner
* Holmes
* Morrison
* Cullom
* Buckmaster
* Fuller
* Corwin
* W. Smith
* Cullom
* Haines
* Shaw
* James
* Thomas
* Collins
* Haines
* Calhoun
* Matthews
* James Miller
* Cochran
* Crafts
* Meyer
* Cochran
* Curtis
* Sherman
* John Miller
* Shurtleff
* Adkins
* McKinley
* Shanahan
* Dahlberg
* Shanahan
* Scholes
* Shanahan
* Roe
* Devine
* L. Lewis
* Cross
* Schnackenberg
* Green
* Powell
* Wood
* Powell
* J. Lewis
* Touhy
* R. Smith
* Walker
* Blair
* Redmond
* Ryan
* Telcser
* Madigan
* Daniels
* Madigan
* Welch

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Black Hawk War of 1832

Native people|

| British Band|

* Black Hawk
* Checokalako
* Neapope
* Pamisseu
* Towaunonne
* Wabokieshiek

|

Dakota|

* Wapasha

Ho-Chunk|

* Waukon Decorah

Menominee|

* Oshkosh

Potawatomi|

* Billy Caldwell
* Shabbona
* Waubonsie

Sauk and Meskwaki|

* Keokuk
* Wapello

U.S. people|

| Army|

* Henry Atkinson
* Hugh Brady
* Jefferson Davis
* Winfield Scott
* Zachary Taylor

|

Militia|

* John Giles Adams
* Milton Alexander
* David Bailey
* Ebenezer Brigham
* John Dement
* Henry Dodge
* William S. Hamilton
* James D. Henry
* Abraham Lincoln
* Alexander Posey
* John H. Rountree
* Isaiah Stillman
* James W. Stephenson
* Samuel Whiteside

Others|

* George Davenport
* Henry Gratiot
* Antoine LeClaire
* Joseph M. Street
* Felix St. Vrain
* Joseph Throckmorton
* Satterlee Clark

Places|

Illinois
Apple River Fort
Buffalo Grove
Dixon's Ferry
Fort Armstrong
Fort Beggs
Galena
Indian Creek
Kellogg's Grove
Plum River
Saukenuk
Stillman Creek
Stillman's Run Battle Site
Waddams Grove
Yellow Creek
Indiana
Door Village Fort
Michigan Territory (Wisconsin)
Bad Axe River
Blue Mounds Fort
Fort Crawford
Fort Defiance
Fort Hamilton
Fort Jackson
Fort Koshkonong
Fort Union
Gratiot's Grove
Helena
Hamilton's Diggings
Pecatonica River
Roxbury
Sinsinawa Mound
Soldiers Grove
Victory
Wisconsin Heights Battlefield
Wisconsin River

Engagements|

* Minor engagements
* Battle of Stillman's Run
* Buffalo Grove ambush
* Plum River raid
* Indian Creek massacre
* St. Vrain massacre
* Attacks at Fort Blue Mounds
* Spafford Farm massacre
* Battle of Horseshoe Bend
* Battle of Waddams Grove
* Battle of Kellogg's Grove
* Attack at Ament's Cabin
* Battle of Apple River Fort
* Sinsinawa Mound raid
* Battle of Wisconsin Heights
* Battle of Bad Axe

Related topics|

* Black Hawk Purchase
* Black Hawk Tree
* Keokuk's Reserve
* Treaty of St. Louis (1804)
* First Treaty of Prairie du Chien
* Fourth Treaty of Prairie du Chien
* Warrior

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Other|

* Yale LUX

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