Scope and Contents:
Lyman Trumbull was a leading figure in state and national politics of his day. In 1855, after service as a state legislator, Illinois secretary of state, and Illinois Supreme Court justice, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, finishing his third term in 1873.
This collection contains photocopies and transcripts of 615 letters and papers of Trumbull, use of which is facilitated by a name and chronological card index. Correspondents include Jesse K. Dubois, O. M. Hatch, William H. Herndon, Norman B. Judd, Gustav Koerner, John M. Palmer, and Richard Yates. The materials in the collection were copied from originals in the Library of Congress which were subsequently microfilmed on 22 reels.
Also in the collection is an original letter from Trumbull to J. M. Richard, C. O. Thompson, and C. L. Wilson, Dec. 3, 1856, in which Trumbull sets forth his opposition to slavery in the territories, in a statement "to be read" at a banquet in Chicago to celebrate the success of the Republican state ticket in the recent election.