William Reddick (politician)

Reddick was born in Ballynahinch, County Down, Ireland[1] on October 31, 1812, to James and Bessie Reddick.[2] His father and his family immigrated to New Jersey in 1816.[3] Later that year the Reddicks moved to Zanesville, Ohio to seek work in the salt works. James Reddick died in 1821, survived by his wife and their five children.[1]

In 1825, aged fourteen, Reddick served an apprenticeship as a glass blower in Wheeling, West Virginia, earning $4.00 per month.[3] Two years later, he relocated to Brownsville, Pennsylvania[1] and became an indentured apprentice to William R. Campbell to blow window glass.[4] This second apprenticeship concluded after a period of 2 years 2 months and 2 days.[1] Aged 18, in 1830 Reddick married Eliza Jane Collins of Brownsville.[5]

In 1832 the couple moved to Washington, D.C., Reddick continuing his trade as a glass blower.[1] During this time he saved up $1000 U.S. dollars.[3] While in Washington, Reddick devoted his free time to gaining an education by studying during both the evenings and during workplace break periods.[3] By 1834, the Reddicks moved back to Brownsville.[1] In 1835, using his savings, Reddick purchased 400 acres of land in Bruce Township,[1] LaSalle County, Illinois intending to become a farmer.[2]

In 1838, the county seat of LaSalle, Ottawa, Illinois was experiencing civil unrest.[1] Workmen hired to construct the nearby Illinois and Michigan Canal were described in historical documents as "a gang of troublemakers."[1] The citizenry met to select a county sheriff to restore order. Washington Armstrong, a local political leader, proposed that William Reddick should take up the post, as Reddick was described as "big, powerful, and fearless."[1][5]

After some initial reservations, Reddick accepted the offer and ran unopposed.[5] After being elected by a majority vote, he and Eliza moved to Ottawa.[1] Sworn statements made at the time suggest Reddick enjoyed popular support for his efforts as an honest and effective tax collector and law enforcer.[6] He was reelected to the position of sheriff for four consecutive two-year terms.[3] Reddick's time as sheriff ended when he was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1846.[2] He held that office until 1852.[1]

When he ran for the 1854 United States House of Representatives, Reddick lost by a margin of 147 votes.[1] At this time the newly formed Republican Party in Illinois obtained the majority of the offices in the 1854 elections. Being a staunch Democrat, Reddick refused to join the new party[2] and lost his political position.[1] The 42-year-old Reddick would not hold another elected office for nearly two decades.[5]

Reddick successfully ran for a final two-year term as a state senator in 1870.[2] In 1872 Reddick pushed for a temperance law to limit the sale of liquor products in Illinois.[1] The bill was passed and became known as "Reddick’s Temperance Law."[5]

William Reddick's Mansion after it was converted from a public library into a private museum.

Having no children of their own, in 1852 the Reddicks adopted a child, Elizabeth Barrier Funk.[2][1] In 1855 William Reddick hired architects William B. Olmstead and Peter A. Nicholson to build a large brick home in Ottawa Illinois.[2] Construction occurred 1855–1858 at a cost of $25,000.[7] The brick and stone mansion is in the Italianate style.[1] The house was completed in time for guests to view the first of the Lincoln–Douglas debates from the mansion's steps and balconies on August 21, 1858.[2] A lifelong Democrat, Reddick supported incumbent senator Stephen A. Douglas.[1] During the first of the debates, Reddick sat next to Douglas on the speakers’ platform.[7] Reddick Mansion is one of the largest surviving pre-Civil War homes in the state of Illinois.[1] It is part of the Washington Park Historic District which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[8]

In April 2019, Heritage Restoration and Design Studio was hired to perform a large scale restoration of the mansion's exterior. Some $1,200,000 has been budgeted to restore the windows, facades, and Italianate cornices.[9]

Due to his own lack of formal schooling, Reddick dedicated time and money to ensuring that the citizens of Ottawa had access to education.[1] In November 1851, William Reddick served as vice president of the Granville Convention of farmers.[10] This meeting laid the foundation for the University of Illinois system.[1] In 1854 Reddick served on a nine-man committee that planned a free public school system in Ottawa.[3]

In 1854 Reddick opened a general goods store in Ottawa.[3] In 1868 Hugh B.J. Gillen joined the firm as a partner.[1] At the age of 60, Reddick sold his share in the store to Gillen and retired.[1] The majority of William Reddick's fortune came from real estate holdings.[3] He owned the land on which several large farms operated in LaSalle County.[1] His other business ventures included the chartering of a hotel for Ottawa,[3] the construction of toll bridges on the Fox and Illinois Rivers,[1] and the founding of the Ottawa Glass Works.[3] Reddick also assisted in the building and governance of the Kankakee Insane Asylum.[11]

By 1877, through his ownership of real estate and business ventures, Reddick's personal fortune was estimated at $300,000.[3] Eliza Collins Reddick died on July 5, 1883, and Reddick himself died less than two years later on March 8, 1885.[1][2] In his will, Reddick left the City of Ottawa his mansion for use as a public library[11] and gave $100,000 for its upkeep.[1] He also bequeathed one hundred acres of farm land to LaSalle County for the support of the poor.[1]