John Burnham

Oil painting on canvas: John Burnham. He is balding with thick gold-brown and gray beard and mustache. Burnham is wearing a black suit and bow tie in front of a dark background.

John Burnham was the first student from Cook County to graduate from Illinois State Normal University, which had opened a year before his enrollment. He enlisted in the Union Army in what was called the “Teacher’s Regiment;” a company of men formed mostly by teachers and students from ISNU. After he returned to Bloomington, Burnham was briefly the superintendent of Bloomington Public Schools, then the editor of The Pantagraph, and then a contractor for the King Bridge Company. He became one of the founding members of the McLean County Historical Society and is known for his love of history and contributions towards recording Illinois History.