Stephen Douglas was born in Brandon, Vermont. He studied law and began practicing as a lawyer in Jacksonville, Illinois. From 1834 until 1841 he held many positions in state government, including judge of the Illinois Supreme Court. Douglas served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1843 until 1847 and in the U.S. Senate from 1847 until his death in 1861. Douglas strongly supported national expansion, including the annexation of Texas in 1845. He drafted the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed territories to decide for themselves if they would permit slavery. Douglas held a series of debates with Abraham Lincoln in the senatorial campaign of 1858. In 1860 he was nominated for the presidency by the northern wing of the Democratic Party, but he was defeated by Abraham Lincoln. Douglas loyally supported the Lincoln administration until his death in 1861.
