John S. Phelps graduated from Trinity College and was admitted to the bar, establishing a foundation in law. He transitioned into public service, spending nearly two decades in Congress, including a leadership role as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. During the Civil War, he served in the Union Army, rising to the rank of colonel and participating in significant battles. After the war, he returned to law and later became Governor of Missouri, where he focused on currency reform and public education.

John S. Phelps combines a traditional Democratic economic stance with a surprising willingness to engage in military leadership, as evidenced by his rise to colonel in the Union Army and his controversial appointment as Military Governor of Arkansas. His support for currency reform and public education indicates a nuanced approach to governance, balancing fiscal conservatism with progressive social investments. Phelps’s legislative career reveals a strategic alignment with both industrial and agrarian interests, suggesting a highly localized, interest-balancing political philosophy.