Stephen A. Douglas was born in Vermont on April 23, 1813.  He gained the nickname “Little Giant” because of his short height but big head and shoulders.  Goodness.  At the age of 20 he left Vermont for Illinois where he became a lawyer.

He became a fixture of the Illinois Democratic Party when first elected to the state legislature in 1836.  He then went on to serve as a judge in the Illinois Supreme Court from 1841 to 1843.  Next came the national stage.  Goodness.  He became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1843.  Then he moved to the U.S. Senate in 1847.  One of his legacies there was the Kansas - Nebraska Act of 1854.  Goodness, a lot of information already.  This is going to be a fun month.  Stephen Douglas died of typhoid in 1861.