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Born in New Hampshire, Augustus French was a genuine pioneer who came to Illinois in 1832. French was elected to the Illinois State Legislature in 1836 and was a colleague of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.
He was elected governor in 1846 and re-elected without opposition in 1848. Governor French was the first man to be elected to two terms in the governor's office. After leaving office in 1853, French moved to Lebanon, Illinois where he was a law professor and member of the board of trustees of McKendree College. Governor French died on September 4, 1864 and is buried in the College Hill Cemetery in Lebanon.
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The Governor French Academy is named for Augustus C. French, the ninth governor of the state of Illinois. French served as the state's first two-term governor from 1846 to 1853.
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Augustus C. French was born in Hill, New Hampshire on August 2, 1808. He was a man of high character who was orphaned before the age of twenty. He cheerfully assumed the duties of educating and caring for four younger brothers. He attended Dartmouth College where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1823, after which he established a successful legal career in Illinois.
Prior to being elected governor, French served in other political capacities, including a term in the Illinois legislature. As governor, French oversaw the adoption of the 1848 Constitution, the initiation of free stock banks, the reduction of state expenses, the elimination of the state deficit, and the finalization of construction of the Illinois Central Railroad.
Upon leaving office on January 10, 1853, French took a law professorship at McKendree College in Lebanon. While living in Lebanon, French commissioned the building of a stately manor on Belleville Street, likened to a Swiss Château. In this home, he taught young, McKendree law students. He lived there with his wife, Lucy Southwick French, until his death on September 4, 1864. The home has become known as the Governor French Mansion and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Since 1978, the manor has been the home of Phillip Paeltz and his wife, Myra Blackman. Paeltz is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Governor French Academy. Blackman is the President of the Board of Directors. It is through their historical affiliation with the good governor and his active support of education that the couple chose to honor him with the naming of The Governor French Academy. |
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