John F. Rague
Illustration — 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. John Francis Rague (1799–1877; pronounced ra-gu) was a mid-19th century architect who designed and built numerous public buildings including the 1837 Old Capitol of Illinois and the 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. He was born on March 24, 1799, in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, before the family moved to New York in 1806.
Also recorded as John Francis Rague
John F. Rague

Billwhittaker (talk) · Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia · Own work (Original text: I created this work entirely by myself.) · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 1799 · Scotch Plains.
- Died
- 1877
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- architect
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Illustration — 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. John Francis Rague (1799–1877; pronounced ra-gu) was a mid-19th century architect who designed and built numerous public buildings including the 1837 Old Capitol of Illinois and the 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. He was born on March 24, 1799, in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, before the family moved to New York in 1806.
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There he studied under Minard Lafever. He would later move to Springfield, Illinois in 1831. There, he designed both the Illinois and Iowa capitol buildings, the Tinsley Dry Goods Building and many Greek Revival homes. In Springfield, Rague was a friend of Abraham Lincoln, and suggested Lincoln wear white gloves to dinner parties. Lincoln followed this recommendation. In 1854, Rague moved to Dubuque, Iowa. While there, he designed a number of buildings, including the city hall, Central Market House, the jail and many homes such as the Mathias Ham House, and the Langworthy Octagon House. Rague's style varied widely over his career from Neoclassical to Federalist to Late Victorian and even to Egyptian Revival.
• Illustration — 1839 Old Capitol of Illinois • Illustration — 1857 Dubuque City Hall • Illustration — 1858 Dubuque County Jail • Illustration — 1856 Mathias Ham House • Illustration — 1851 North Hall, University of Wisconsin • Illustration — 1856 Langworthy House, Dubuque
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- “John F. Rague”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Mansheim, Gerald. Iowa City: An Illustrated History. The Donning Company. 36–40. 1989.
- 2.Hoffman, M.M. John F. Rague, Architect. The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 12. 1. 109-11. Sep 1928.
- 3.Jeffrey M. Dean. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Bascom Hill Historic District. National Park Service. June 1974.
- 4.Guth, Alexander Carl. Early Day Architects in Milwaukee. The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 10. 2. 17-28. Dec 1926.
- 5.Hoffman, M.M. John F. Rague, Architect. The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 12. 1. 109-11. Sep 1928.
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