This
eminent patriot and
jurist, whose portrait is shown on the opposite page, was born in
Baltimore, Maryland, in 1830, and by the death of his parents was
thrown upon his own resources at a very early age. In 1836 he came
to Illinois and lived with John T. Alden in Sangamon County until
1840, after which he was employed on a farm near Franklin in Morgan
County, attending the common schools a part of each winter. For a
time he was a student at Illinois College at Jacksonville and in
1850 he began a scientific course at McKendree College at Lebanon
this State, where he was graduated in 1851. In order to defray his
expenses in obtaining this higher education, he earned the means by
his work on the farm and by teaching school at intervals. In the
winter of 1852 he became a resident of Carlinville and a student of
law in the office of John M. Palmer. In 1854 he was admitted to the
bar and at once entered upon the practice of his profession, in
which he continued until the breaking out of the Civil War. In 1862
he raised a regiment which was organized in August at Camp Palmer at
Carlinville, Illinois, being the 122d Reg., Illinois Vol. Inf. He
was elected and commissioned colonel. The regiment was mustered into
the United States service September 4, and Colonel Rinaker served
until the close of the war. He was wounded at the battle of Parker's
Cross Roads, December 31, 1862. He was appointed brigadier-general
by brevet for gallant and meritorious service in the field to take
rank from the 13th of March, 1865.
After the close of the war, General Rinaker resumed the practice of the law. He early rose to prominence in his profession which he has ever since maintained. He established an enviable reputation as an effective speaker both before court and jury and came to be recognized as one of the best political speakers in the State. In politics he was a Democrat until 1858 when he united with the Republican party, although the new party was in the minority in the State and had in its ranks less than one-third of the voters of Macoupin County, in which he resided; in fact, it was in the minority in all of the counties south of Springfield. At that time it seemed evident in his mind that the Democratic party was being used simply a bulwark of slavery: that the principles of Jefferson and Jackson were no longer respected by the party leaders and that the party organization was controlled by the advocates of nullification and secession. Therefore he did not hesitate to abandon the dominant party. He has long been honored with offices of trust and responsibility in his locality and also in the service of the State and has declined others that have been tendered him, among which was that of United States district attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. In 1872 he was presidential elector on the Republican ticket for the district in which he lives, and in 1876 he was chosen as elector at large from the state. In 1874 he accepted the Republican nomination for Congress in a district hopelessly Democratic and was defeated. It may be mentioned in this connection as an evidence of his popularity in the section where he is best known, that in opposition to the candidacy of William R. Morrison he ran several hundred votes ahead of his ticket. In Macoupin County in 1880 he was the choice of a very large following in the Republican party for the office of Governor of the State of Illinois, and in the nominating convention after a prolonged contest was defeated for the nomination by the thoroughly organized force of Governor Cullom, then the chief executive. In 1885 (without solicitation) he accepted at the hands of Governor Oglesby the position of railroad and warehouse commissioner and served as such for a period of nearly four years. In 1894 General Rinaker was elected to the 54th Congress as a Republican from the Sixteenth Congressional District of Illinois.
On October 16, 1855, General Rinaker was married to Clarissa Keplinger of Franklin, Morgan County, Illinois and they have four sons living: Thomas, Samuel, John I., Jr., and Lewis. These are all graduates of Blackburn University. Thomas and Lewis are graduates of the law department of the University of Michigan. Samuel attended the law department of Yale University and John I. graduated from the architectural department of the University of Illinois.
General Rinaker is a member of Dan Messick Post, No. 339, G. A. R., and has served as its commander. He is also a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. He was made a Mason in Mount Nebo Lodge, A. F. & A. M. of Carlinville in 1862, is a member of the chapter and commandery, and is also a member of the I. O. O. F.
Extracted 2018 May 01 by Norma Hass from Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois, published in 1904, pages 10-13.
Macoupin County ILGenWeb Copyright
Design by
Templates in Time
This page was last updated
07/01/2022