Churchill, George (Madison Co., IL)

Born: 1789-10-11 Rutland County, Vermont

Flourished: Madison County, Illinois

In 1806, Churchill apprenticed as a printer at an Albany, New York, newspaper. He eventually established his own printing shop in Albany, which he later sold before moving to New York City. In 1815, Churchill worked his way west, spending time in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and then to Louisville, Kentucky, where he held printing jobs at several newspapers. In 1817, he moved to the St. Louis area and, having decided to become a farmer, purchased land in Madison County, Illinois. Churchill gained notoriety as an outspoken opponent of the extension of slavery into Illinois, and he soon re-entered the printing business, joining with the Edwardsville Spectator. A Whig, Churchill was elected to represent Madison County in the Illinois House of Representatives continuously from 1822 to 1832. He served in the Illinois Senate from 1838 to 1842, and then returned to the House from 1844 to 1846.

W. T. Norton, ed., Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois and Its People 1812 to 1912 (Chicago: Lewis, 1912), 346-47; Gazetteer of Madison County, Illinois (Alton, IL: James T. Hair, 1866), 286-89; John Clayton, comp., Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970), 199-202, 206, 208, 212.