Where the Streets All Have Names: Ingalls Street

Senator John James Ingalls (Photo from Library of Congress)

Originally named Tyler, or just I Street, the 9th Edgewater street west of Sheridan was renamed Ingalls in 1903. It’s not named after Laura Ingalls Wilder, but it is named after her father’s 2nd cousin, John James Ingalls.

John James Ingalls was a prominent American politician and author. Ingalls was born in Massachusetts in 1833. He studied law at Williams College and was admitted to the bar in 1857. Shortly after, he moved to the Kansas Territory, settling in Atchison. His early time in Kansas was spent ensuring it would become a free state. Ingalls was part of the Kansas State Constitutional Convention and is even credited with authoring the State Motto.

Ingalls entered politics in 1862, becoming one of the very first State Senators in the newly formed State of Kansas. In 1873 he became a U.S. Senator and would eventually become the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

In addition to his political career, Ingalls was also a prolific author. He wrote several books, including a history of Kansas, a biography of Abraham Lincoln, and even a volume of poetry. His poetry was well-regarded, and some of his works are still anthologized today.

After leaving the Senate in 1891, Ingalls returned to Kansas and continued to write and speak on political issues. He died in 1900 and was buried in Topeka, Kansas.