Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Illinois | |
| In office March 4, 1847 – June 3, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | James Semple |
| Succeeded by | Orville H. Browning |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 5th district | |
| In office 4 March 1843 – 3 March 1847 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | William A. Richardson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stephen Arnold Douglas April 23, 1813 Brandon, Vermont |
| Died | June 3, 1861 (aged 48) Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Martin Adele Cutts |
Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician from Illinois. He was a U.S. Representative, a U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee for President in the 1860 election, losing to Republican Abraham Lincoln.
Douglas had previously defeated Lincoln in a Senate contest, noted for the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858. He was nicknamed the "Little Giant" because though short in physical stature, he was a forceful and even dominant figure in politics.
Douglas was born on April 23, 1813 in Brandon, Vermont.[1] He was raised in Jacksonville, Illinois. He was married to Martha Martin from 1847 until her death in 1853. They had three children. Then he was married to Adele Cutts from 1856 until his death in 1861. They had one child. Douglas died from pneumonia caused by Typhoid fever in Chicago, Illinois on June 3, 1861, aged 48.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "''Stephen A. Douglas and the American Union'', University of Chicago Library Special Exhibit, 1994". Lib.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
Other websites
[change | change source]
Media related to Stephen A. Douglas at Wikimedia Commons
- Project Gutenberg text of Life of Stephen A. Douglas by William Gardner
- Page images of two Speeches made by Douglas, one on the Compromise of 1850
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