Representative John Irving Rinaker

John Irving Rinaker (November 1, 1830 – January 15, 1915) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois, a member of the Republican Party, and a brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois from 1895 to 1897, and contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history.

Rinaker was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 1, 1830. In December 1836 he moved with his parents to Springfield, Illinois, which was then an emerging center of political and legal activity in the state. He pursued his early education in Illinois and attended Illinois College for one term. He then enrolled at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, from which he graduated in 1851, preparing for a professional career in law and public service.

After completing his formal education, Rinaker studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1854. He commenced the practice of law in Carlinville, Illinois, a community with which he would remain closely associated for much of his life. His legal practice established him as a figure in local affairs and provided the foundation for his later roles in state and national public life.

With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Rinaker took an active role in the Union cause. In 1862 he raised and organized the 122nd Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and on September 4, 1862, he was commissioned as its first colonel. Serving in the Western Theater of the war, he and his regiment were attached to the XVI Corps of the Army of the Tennessee, where he commanded a brigade. In recognition of his service, he was brevetted brigadier general of volunteers, with rank dating from March 13, 1865, as part of the omnibus promotions near the close of the conflict.

Following the war, Rinaker remained engaged in Republican Party politics and public affairs in Illinois. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876 and again in 1884, participating in the selection of the party’s presidential nominees during a period of intense national political realignment. From 1885 to 1889 he was chairman of the Board of Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners of Illinois, a key regulatory body at a time when railroads and grain storage were central to the state’s economy and to broader debates over transportation, commerce, and fair rates.

Rinaker’s congressional service came later in his career. A member of the Republican Party, he successfully contested the election of Finis E. Downing to the Fifty-fourth Congress. As a result of this contested election, he was seated and served as a Representative from Illinois from June 5, 1896, to March 3, 1897. During this one term in office, he participated in the democratic process in the House of Representatives and represented the interests of his Illinois constituents during a significant period in American history marked by economic and political transition in the post-Reconstruction era. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress.

After leaving Congress, Rinaker returned to Carlinville, Illinois, where he resumed the practice of law. He continued to be identified with the legal and civic life of his community in his later years. Rinaker died in Eustis, Florida, on January 15, 1915. His remains were returned to Illinois, and he was interred in the City Cemetery in Carlinville, reflecting his long and enduring connection to the town where he had built his professional and public career.