Jayne, William

Born: 1826-10-08 Springfield, Illinois

Died: 1916-03-20 Springfield, Illinois

Flourished: Springfield, Illinois

Jayne studied medicine under his father, Gersham, and attended Missouri University. He graduated in 1849 and began working as a physician in Springfield, Illinois. In 1850, he married Julia Witherbee, with whom he had six children. A Republican, Jayne won election as mayor in 1859 and won election to the Illinois Senate the following year. However, he resigned in 1861 when Abraham Lincoln appointed him the first governor the Dakota Territory. In 1862, Dakota voters selected him as their territorial delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. At the conclusion of his term in 1864, Jayne returned to Springfield. In 1860, Jayne had accrued $11,000 in real estate and $3,000 in personal property.

History of Sangamon County, Illinois (Chicago: Inter-State, 1881), 682; Gravestone, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Springfield, Sangamon County, IL, 233.