John Dement

John Dement
An 1887 engraving of John Dement
Born	26 April 1804 Gallatin, Tennessee
Died	16 January 1883 (aged 78) Dixon, Illinois
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	Illinois Militia
Years of service	1832
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Fayette County Volunteer Company, Spy Battalion First Regiment Illinois Militia
Battles/wars	Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove, (Black Hawk War)
Relations	Son: Henry Dodge Dement
Other work	Illinois State Representative U.S. Receiver of Public Moneys Illinois Constitutional Convention Delegate Electoral College elector

John Dement (26 April 1804 – 16 January 1883) was a politician and militia commander from the U.S. state of Illinois.

Born in Tennessee, he migrated with his family to Illinois when he was in his early teens. His first political office was as county sheriff and he later served multiple terms in the Illinois House of Representatives. Dement held the federal Receiver of Public Moneys post with U.S. Government Land Office under five different presidential administrations. During the 1832 Black Hawk War, Dement commanded a battalion in combat at the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove. Sauk war chief Black Hawk later commented on the valor displayed by Dement during the battle. Dement died in 1883 at his home in Dixon, Illinois.

John Dement was born in Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee on April 26, 1804. His parents, David and Dorcas Dement (née Willis) moved to Illinois in 1817 and he moved with them; the family settled on a farm in Franklin County.

In 1826 Dement took his first political office when he was elected sheriff of Franklin County. He went on and served the same area in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1828 to 1830. The General Assembly elected Dement state Treasurer in 1831, and he was reelected twice, until he resigned the post to serve in the General Assembly once again in 1836, as state representative from Fayette County, where the county seat of Vandalia was about to lose its position as capital of Illinois.