John Marshall Hamilton ( May 28 , 1847 – September 22 , 1905 ) was the 18th Governor of Illinois , serving from 1883 to 1885 . Born in Union County , Ohio , Hamilton became interested in politics at a young age , joining the Wide Awakes when he was thirteen and the Union Army four years later . After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University he studied law and was admitted to the bar . A notable attorney in Bloomington , Illinois , Hamilton was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1876 . He served there until 1881 , when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Illinois on a ticket with Shelby Moore Cullom . When Cullom resigned after election to the United States Senate , Hamilton became Governor of Illinois . He was not selected as a candidate for re-election , but did serve that year as a delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention . He spent the rest of his life as an attorney in Chicago , where he died in 1905
1884 Republican National Convention
1884 Republican National Convention
John Marshall Hamilton