Lake County, Illinois History

Lake County was formed By an act of the state legislature on March 1, 1839. It split off land from the existing McHenry County which now lies to the west. It was named for Lake Michigan which forms it's eastern border.

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1		Judge Francis E Clark He was one of the incorporators of the First National Bank of Waukegan. He served as a director and vice-president. In 1879, he was elected County Judge in Lake County. His house, built in 1875 was still standing as of 2022.	Francis Erasmus Clarke
2		Robert Parker Coffin He was an architect by trade. He served as the village president of Long Grove, Illinois for 20 years and then served on the village planning commission for 22 years. The main street running through Long Grove, Illinois is named in honor of Robert.	Robert Parker Coffin
3		Ansel Brainerd Cook A successful business man and politician. In his home town of Libertyville, Illinois, Cook Avenue, Cook Park and, Cook Memorial Library are all named in his honor. His house now serves as a museum and archive which is run by the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society.	Ansel Brainerd Cook
4		Warren H Ellis Warren was also a real estate developer. From 1865 to 1877 he was a member of the Waukegan City Council for two terms and, city clerk for three. His house built about 1872 is still standing as of 2022.	Warren H Ellis, Sr
5		George Gage George Gage and his brother John Gage came to Chicago in 1833 by the Erie Canal from Watertown New York. In February 1835, they moved north and claimed 1600 acres surrounding what is now called Gages Lake. They latter sold off portions of the land and the unincorporated community around the lake is also known as Gages Lake.	George Gage
6		John Gage John Gage and his brother George Gage came to Chicago in 1833 by the Erie Canal from Watertown New York. In February 1835, they moved north and claimed 1600 acres surrounding what is now called Gages Lake. They latter sold off portions of the land and the unincorporated community around the lake is also known as Gages Lake.	John Gage
7		Samuel Smith Greenleaf Samuel was a merchant and one of the oldest settlers in Waukegan, Illinois, settling there when it was known as Little Fort. Greenleaf Street in Waukegan is named in his honor.	Samuel Smith Greenleaf
8		Nelson Landon Nelson was the largest land owner in the county. His farm covered about 1,300 acres. he had 1,000 sheep, 100 head of cattle. From his 60 cows he produced 100 to 130 pounds of cheese per day. He had some of the finest horses in the county. He was elected to the county board of commissioners and was instrumental in getting the town of Little Fort (the future Waukegan) named the county seat of Lake County.	Nelson Landon
9		Clarence A. Murray Hotel Proprietor, politician in Waukegan, Illinois. Vice President of the (Waukegan) Gazette Publishing Company.	Clarence Albert Murray
10		Lewis A Paddock Lewis came to lake county with his family when he was two years old. He became a farmer and eventually ran a summer resort next to Bluff Lake in Antioch, Illinois.	Lewis A Paddock
11		Charles Addison Partridge. Addison was the Senior Editor of the Waukegan Daily Gazette.	Charles Addison Partridge
12		Horace Edward Partridge. Horace was the Junior Editor of the Waukegan Gazette.	Horace Edward Partridge
13		Vincent Clarence Price. Manufacturer, inventor of baking powder. Grandfather of the actor Vincent Price.	Vincent Clarence Price
14		Edward L. Ryerson Jr. Edward was a business man. He was the Chairman of Inland Steel from 1940 to 1953. He built a weekend home in the area now known as Riverwoods. In 1966 his family donated the land to the county and it became The Ryerson Conservation Area (forest preserve).	Edward Larned Ryerson, Jr
15		John A Singer John was one of many children had by Isaac Singer of sewing machine fame. As a result he was independently wealthy. He purchased 170 acres of land on the east shore of Diamond Lake in the unincorporated village of Diamond lake, Illinois. He built three houses and two large barns. At the time his house was one of the largest and most modern houses in the country. He operated one of the houses as a hotel. In 1880, he sold the estate for less than it was worth and moved back to New York. Locally the house was know as the Singer House until 1901 when it was destroyed by fire.	John Albert Singer
16		Thomas F. Slocum Thomas Settled on a small lake that became known as Slocum Lake. When the town of Wauconda was formed the post office was built at Slocum Lake. Thomas was the first postmaster and his wife, Mary served as Deputy Postmistress.	Thomas F Slocum
17		Laura B Sprague She was the first school teacher in Lake County, Illinois, working from her home in Half Day, Illinois.	Laura Bronson Sprague
18		Arthur Kendall Stearns Arthur K. Stearns Was born in Brooklyn, New York and, educated at Harvard. He was the president of the Waukegan Sun Publishing Company. He established the "Waukegan Daily" and the "Weekly Sun" newspapers as well as the "Flour and Feed" trade journal.	Arthur Kendall Stearns
19		John Stearns Jr. John donated land for a one room schoolhouse known as Stearns School in his honor. The school building was torn down in 1995 however the road that passed by it is still known as Stearns School Road.	John Stearns, Jr
20		Adlai Ewing Stevenson II Adeli's estate is a designated Illinois Historic Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1974 it was donated to the Lake County Forest Preserves.	Adlai Ewing Stevenson, II
21		Clark Warren Upton. Lawyer, politician. Mayor of Waukegan, Illinois 1867.	Clark Warren Upton
22		Captain Daniel Wright Daniel served in the Vermont militia and fought in the War of 1812, He is considered to be the first white settler in what would become Lake County, Illinois. When his daughter, Caroline was married it was the first marriage in Lake County. Daniel Wright Junior High School in Lincolnshire and Wright Woods (forest preserve) are named in his honor.	Daniel Wright