Robert Ingersoll

Transformative Leader

Robert G. Ingersoll

Robert G. Ingersoll (1833 – 1899) influenced many persons and movements across several disciplines and through many leadership. When the American Civil War broke out in April of 1861, Robert G. Ingersoll immediately answered the call. By recruiting directly from local Peoria residents, Ingersoll set about raising troops, organizing the 11t Illinois Cavalry Regiment, and is credited with generating recruitment enthusiasm in the area. When Colonel Ingersoll returned to Peoria after the conclusion of the war, he resumed his work in law and politics having previously studied and practiced law in southern Illinois. Although he never held an elected office,

Ingersoll was a staunch member of the Republican party and active in politics. In fact, he served as the Attorney General of Illinois from 1867-1869. Articulate about his progressive views, Ingersoll abhorred slavery, opposed any form of racial discrimination (such as the Chinese Exclusion Act), fought with women for their right to vote and supported social equality. He was also known for his agnosticism and atheism which some speculate may have restricted his ability to run for office. Yet, Robert Ingersoll was best recognized and celebrated for his exceptional oratory skills. Dubbed the greatest orator of his time by friend Walt Whitman, Ingersoll was in frequent demand as a speaker and drew large audiences. Fortunately, for posterity, Ingersoll’s speeches were collected and published in a twelve volume set titled Dresden Editions.

Robert Ingersoll was not native to Peoria. Rather, he was born in Dresden, New York, the son of a Congregationalist minister, John Ingersoll. Due to the nature of the senior Ingersoll’s work, the family moved frequently. Robert and his brother landed in the Peoria area in 1857. Ingersoll married Eva Amelia Parker in 1862 and had two daughters. Robert G. Ingersoll’s ashes are interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

Henry Ulke

Title Unknown, 1881 (Portrait of Robert Ingersoll)

Print of oil on canvas

Property of Peoria Public Library On display at Flanagan Historic House Museum