the county seat of St. Clair County. Politics In the fall of 1818, John Reynolds was elected an associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court by the Illinois General Assembly. In 1822, he was joined on the court by Thomas Reynolds, but both were defeated for re-election in 1824; John Reynolds went on to become Governor of Illinois in 1830 and Thomas Reynolds became Governor of Missouri in 1840. Despite some biographies stating that the two men were brothers or uncle and nephew, a 1961 historical journal letter states that the two were not related: John Reynolds had a brother named Thomas Reynolds — or Thomas Michael Reynolds in one of his obituaries — but that brother owned a livery stable and dry goods store in Belleville; neither John nor his brother Thomas were any relation to the Thomas that served with John on the Supreme Court. In 1818, John Reynolds was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate. In 1826, he was elected a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the first time, serving until 1830. Although aligning himself with the Jacksonian Democrats, his moderation earned him respect from both pro-Jackson and anti-Jackson factions. In August 1830, Reynolds was elected governor of Illinois and took office on December 6, 1830, giving an inaugural address that advocated for free popular education, general internal public improvements, the completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and the improvement of the Chicago harbor. He also advocated and recommended the completion of the first state penitentiary at Alton, at the direct cost of the state. The most significant event of his administration was the Black Hawk War in 1832. He called out the militia, and was field commander, often appearing in person on the battle-grounds. He was recognized by U.S. President Andrew Jackson as Major-General, and was authorized to make treaties with the Native Americans. Asiatic Cholera was a prominent feature of Reynolds' gubernatorial term. On November 17, 1834, Reynolds resigned as governor, having been elected to the United States House of Representatives for the Twenty-third Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles Slade. He was reelected to the Twenty-fourth Congress, serving from December 1, 1834, to March 3, 1837. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1836 to the Twenty-fifth Congress. He was subsequently elected to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses, serving from