Page 127

ALFRED ORENDORFF, Attorney-at-law, was born in Logan county, Illinois, 29th July, 1845. Joseph Orendorff, his father, was a North Carolinian by birth, but came to Illinois with his parents about 1819. Christopher Orendorff, his father, settled on Sugar creek, north of Springfield, in what was then Sangamon, now Logan county, and built the first water-power grist mill in that part of the country, making the burrs of boulders obtained in the vicinity of the mill. Joseph Orendorff married Elizabeth Stevens, a native of Henderson county, Kentucky. He died when the subject of this biography was a lad of ten summers, and his widow removed to Lincoln, Logan county. Alfred enjoyed the common schools, and subsequently attended the Wesleyan University at Lincoln, a year, and the military school at Fulton, Illinois, a short time. In the spring of 1866 he graduated from the Albany Law School, and spent the succeeding winter in Texas. Returning to Springfield in the autumn of 1867, he engaged in the practice of law in the office of Herndon & Zane; and upon the retirement of Judge Zane from the firm, the law partnership of Herndon & Orendorff was formed, and continued for a number of years. June 22, 1870, Mr. Orendorff united in marriage with Miss Julia, daughter of Colonel John Williams, an early settler and prominent business man of Springfield. In 1870 Mr. Orendorff was nominated by the Republicans for the State Senate, but the Democrats being largely in the majority, he was beaten by their candidate, Hon. Alexander Starne. In 1872, he was a delegate to the National Democratic convention, and supported Hon. Lyman Trumbull for the Presidency. In 1873 he was chosen by the Liberals as candidate for Representative to the General Assembly of Illinois. The choice being ratified by the Democrats, he was elected, and was made a member of the Judiciary Committee in that body, and took an active part in framing the Revised Statutes made necessary by the adoption of the new Constitution. Mr. Orendorff joined the Odd Fellows in 1874; has filled the various offices in the subordinate lodge; was chosen Representative of No. 465 to the Grand Lodge, held in Peoria in 1875; was elected Grand Master of the State in 1878, and is now Representative to the Sovereign Grand Lodge I.O.O.F. of the World.