Oil painting on canvas: Joseph 'Private Joe' Fifer. He is wearing a black suit and tie in front of a red background. mounted in gold frame. This painting replaces the original destroyed in the McBarnes fire.
Joseph Fifer was elected City Attorney of Bloomington, IL and continued to rise in political office until he was Governor of Illinois in 1888. During his campaign he was nicknamed “Private Joe,” reflecting his Civil War service rank, while his opponents were decorated officers. He lived in Bloomington for the rest of his life and was a favorite speaker for many occasions until his death in 1935.