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John S. Phelps

John S. Phelps
John smith phelps.jpg
23rd Governor of Missouri
In office
January 8, 1877 – January 10, 1881
Lieutenant Henry C. Brockmeyer
Preceded by Charles Henry Hardin
Succeeded by Thomas T. Crittenden
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 6th district
In office
March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1863
Preceded by District created
Succeeded by Austin A. King
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's at-large and 5th district
In office
March 4, 1845 (at-large) – March 3, 1853 (5th)
Preceded by James Madison Hughes (at-large)
Succeeded by John G. Miller (5th)
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
In office
1840-1844
Personal details
Born (1814-12-22)December 22, 1814
Simsbury, Connecticut
Died November 20, 1886(1886-11-20) (aged 71)
St. Louis, Missouri
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Mary Whitney
Profession Attorney

John Smith Phelps (December 22, 1814 – November 20, 1886) was a politician, soldier during the American Civil War, and the 23rd Governor of Missouri.

John Smith Phelps, the son of Elisha Phelps, was born in Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut. He attended common schools and then studied law at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, graduating in 1832. He was admitted to the bar in 1835 and commenced practice in Simsbury. After his marriage to Mary Whitney on April 20, 1837, he moved to Springfield, Missouri, and quickly became one of the leading lawyers in southwest Missouri.

Phelps was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1840. Four years later, on March 4, 1845, he was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-Ninth Congress, and to eight succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1863). During his 18-year term, he served as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means (Thirty-Fifth Congress) and came to be regarded as a champion of government bounties to soldiers, aid to railroads, and inexpensive postage.

Phelps was popular in Washington, D.C. and at home. In 1857 Missourians honored him by naming the newly created county of Phelps after him. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1862.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Phelps returned to Springfield and enlisted as a private in Captain Coleman's Company of Missouri Infantry (Union). He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 2, 1861 and to colonel December 19, 1861. Following the Union defeat at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, Mary Phelps cared for the body of General Nathaniel Lyon, killed during the battle, while her husband retreated with the Union army to Rolla. By special arrangement with President Abraham Lincoln, Phelps organized an infantry regiment which bore his name, Phelps’s Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry. The regiment spent most of the winter of 1861—62 as the garrison of Fort Wyman at Rolla. In March 1862, Phelps led his regiment in the fierce fighting at Pea Ridge in Arkansas. He was mustered out May 13, 1862. In July 1862, he was appointed by President Lincoln as Military Governor of Arkansas, but he resigned the position due to ill health.


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