Abner C. Harding

Abner Clark Harding (February 10, 1807 - July 19, 1874) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.

Biography
Born in East Hampton, Connecticut, Harding attended Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Oneida County, New York, about 1827. In 1838, he moved to Monmouth, Illinois, and continued practicing law. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1848, and was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives the same year, serving until 1850.

During the Civil War, Harding enlisted as a private in the Union Army in the Eighty-third Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Later, he was commissioned as a colonel, and was promoted to brigadier general in 1863.

From 1865 to 1869, Harding served as a Republican member of Congress. During the 39th Congress, he served as Chairman of the Committee on the Militia. However, he was not a candidate for reelection in 1868 after serving in the 40th Congress, and later engaged in banking and railroad building. He died in Monmouth, Illinois on July 19, 1874, and was interred in Monmouth Cemetery.