March 17, 1775: Ninian Edwards and His Illinois Doings

Cover art for March 17, 1775: Portrait of Ninian Edwards, artist unknown, currently hanging in the Illinois State Capitol's Hall of Governors.

(Yeah, we couldn’t fit all that on the title card and have the artwork still visible.)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, if you’re the type to celebrate! We have a little Easter Egg (shamrock?) in this episode for you.

Ninian Edwards was an interesting character in that he tried very hard to make the best choices for the people he represented, and while he succeeded in some respects, in others it seems he left a trail of hard feelings and broken plans.

But with a single exception he doesn’t seem to have acted out of malice, or greed. It’s just that most of the things he’s known for didn’t quite work out the way he hoped. And yet, he still remains in the record book for a job he held in his youth, and for being one of Illinois’ first senators.

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