Edward Coles
| Edward Coles | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 2nd Governor of Illinois | |
|
In office December 5, 1822 – December 6, 1826 |
|
| Preceded by | Shadrach Bond |
| Succeeded by | Ninian Edwards |
| Private Secretary to the President | |
|
In office January 1810 – March 1815 |
|
| President | James Madison |
| Preceded by | Isaac Coles |
| Succeeded by | James Payne Todd |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 15, 1786 Albemarle County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | July 7, 1868 (aged 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Sally Logan Roberts (1809 to 1883) |
| Alma mater | College of William and Mary |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Signature |  |
Edward Coles (December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868) was a planter and politician, elected as the second Governor of Illinois (1822 to 1826). From an old Virginia family, as a young man Coles was a neighbor and associate of presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, as well as secretary to President James Madison (1810 to 1815).
An anti-slavery advocate throughout his adult life, Coles inherited a plantation and slaves but eventually left Virginia for the Illinois Territory in order to set his slaves free. He manumitted 19 slaves in 1819, and acquired land for them. In Illinois, he twice led political campaigns that prevented the legitimization of slavery in the new state. Coles corresponded with and advised both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to free their slaves. In his final years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he helped shape early historians' views of the presidents' republican ideals.
Coles was born on December 15, 1786 at Enniscorthy, a plantation in central Virginia's Albemarle County on the Hardware River, a tributary of the James River. He was the youngest male among ten surviving children of John Coles (1745–1808) and Rebecca Tucker (1750–1826). Young Coles' earliest teachers were prominent lawyer Wilson Cary Nicholas and Mr. (probably Rev.) White who lived by Dyer's Store. After a term at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, Coles transferred to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
...
Wikipedia