Cartwright, PETER

Cartwright, PETER, an eminent Methodist preacher, born in Virginia, 1st September 1785, was ordained in Kentucky in 1806, and in 1823 removed to Illinois, where he laboured for nearly half a century. He also sat in the state legislature there, and in 1846 was defeated by Abraham Lincoln in an election for congressman. Admired for his eloquence and strong common-sense, he was also loved for his quaint eccentricity of manner, and possessed great influence in his own denomination. He died near Pleasant Plains, Illinois, 25th September 1872. See his Autobiography (1856), and The Backwoods Preacher (Lond. 1869).