Born near
Carrollton, Illinois, Caldwell moved to Illinois in April 1853 with his parents, who settled near
Chatham, Illinois. He attended the public schools, and thereafter engaged in
agricultural pursuits. He served as member of the
Board of Supervisors of
Sangamon County in 1877 and 1878. He served as member of the
Illinois House of Representatives 1882–1886, and served in the
Illinois Senate 1890–1894.
Congress Upon his election to Congress in 1898, he resigned the presidency of the Farmers' National Bank of Springfield, which office he had held since 1885. He also served as president of the Caldwell State Bank of Chatham. Caldwell was elected as a
Democrat to the
Fifty-sixth,
Fifty-seventh, and
Fifty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1905). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1904 to the
Fifty-ninth Congress. Caldwell was elected to the
Sixtieth Congress (March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1909).
Later career and death He was not a candidate for renomination in 1908. He again engaged in banking in
Chatham, Illinois. He died in
Springfield, Illinois, on December 29, 1924. He was interred in
Oak Ridge Cemetery. == References ==