Joel Minnick Longenecker
Encyclopedia
State's Attorney
In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...
, Judge, gubernatorial candidate, and Department Commander of the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
. Active in nationally prominent trials involving the Chicago Anarchists, and Irish nationalists
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
.
Longenecker had been a farmer in Robinson, Illinois
Robinson, Illinois
Robinson is a city in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,822 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Robinson is located at ....
, Crawford County.. In the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Longenecker, age 18, joined Co. F, 5th Regiment of the Illinois Cavalry as a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
on December 4, 1864 in Olney, Illinois
Olney, Illinois
Olney is a city in Richland County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,631 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richland County.-History:...
. He served for one year with no apparent distinction.
After the war, Longenecker taught school for two terms, and – after he became of age – was elected Justice of the Peace while he was studying law at Robinson. He married Emma Florence Fitch on August 30, 1870. In 1871, Longenecker was admitted to the bar at Olney, Illinois
Olney, Illinois
Olney is a city in Richland County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,631 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richland County.-History:...
at which time he served as City Attorney. From 1876 to 1880 he was State’s Attorney serving at Richland County, and from 1882 to 1899, tried over 35 reported decisions as State’s Attorney in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
.
He was prominent in such trials as the anarchist and the infamous Irish Nationalist Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin murder case.
From 1899, Longenecker served as a Judge in Cook County.
On May 3, 1890, he was elected Department Commander of the Illinois Grand Army of the Republic. During his term as Commander, as reported by the New York Times, "Judge Joel M. Longenecker is Chairman of the General Committee and is hosting the National G.A.R. Encampment in Chicago on August 21 through September 1, 1900." Also, as the Times reported, "This City is preparing for what is expected to be the greatest Grand Army Encampment in the history of the organization." Longenecker officially received President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
and the Governor of Illinois at the parade review stand on Tuesday, August 28, 1900.
A bronze-medal bas-relief of Longenecker is shown in the photograph. The reverse side of the low-relief emblem reads, "35th Annual Encampment, Department of Illinois, G. A. R., Peoria, Ill’s. May 14–15-16, 1901." This medallion marked the end of Judge Longenecker’s 10-year term as GAR Illinois Department Commander.
In August 1906, Judge Longenecker’s strength failed. He went to Paw Paw Lake
Paw Paw Lake, Michigan
Paw Paw Lake is an unincorporated community in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes, without legal status as a municipality...
in Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....
to recuperate, and on September 19, 1906 died from cirrhosis of the liver, probably due – in no small part – to excessive drinking. In his obituary, it is stated that Longenecker was second in the Republican primary race (year?) for Governor of the State of Illinois.