A native of Illinois. See BADGER.
1833. [The suckers of Illinois are] so called after the fish of that name, from his going up the river to the mines, and returning at the season when the sucker makes its migrations.—C. F. Hoffman, ‘A Winter in the Far West,’ i. 207 n. (Lond., 1835).
1836. The Illinoisans are called suckers, the inhabitants of Indiana Hooshiers, and those of Ohio Buckeyes.—Phila. Pub. Ledger, Oct. 14.
1838. I mention not this [inquisitiveness] as a fault of the worthy “Suckers:” it is rather a misfortune.—E. Flagg, ‘The Far West,’ ii. 104 (N.Y.).
1847. Here were collected about fifty Illinois market wagons, and a corresponding number of suckers.—Robb, ‘Streaks of Squatter Life,’ &c., p. 115 (Phila.). (Italics in the original.)
1847. The Sucker state, the country of vast projected rail roads, good corndodger, splendid banking houses, and poor currency.—Id., p. 28.
1848. There is a swarm of “suckers,” “hoosiers,” “buckeyes,” “corn-crackers,” and “wolverines” eternally on the qui vive [in Wisconsin].—Durivage and Burnham, ‘Stray Subjects,’ p. 79.
1858. Two young ‘Suckers’ came out of the inn, and jumped into a one-horse ‘pung’ wagon, thick with mud.—Knick. Mag., lii. 539 (Nov.).
1862. I never before knew a “sucker” who would not contend that we could do anything and everything as well, or better, than any other people.—Mr. William Kellogg of Illinois, House of Repr., Jan. 30: Cong. Globe, p. 566/2.
