"Governor of Illinois" . . . . "1786Z"^^ . "Governor of Illinois" . "Edward Coles"@en . . . "1868-07-07Z"^^ . "Coles, Edward"@en . "1868Z"^^ . . "1826-12-06Z"^^ . "1786-12-15Z"^^ . "Edward Coles (December 15, 1786 \u2013 July 7, 1868) was the second Governor of Illinois (1822 to 1826). From an old Virginia family, as a young man Coles was a neighbor and associate of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, as well as secretary to president James Madison (1810 to 1815). An anti-slavery advocate throughout his adult life, Coles inherited a plantation and slaves but eventually left Virginia for the Illinois Territory in order to set his slaves free."@en . "2nd" . "1822-12-05Z"^^ . . . .