Scope and Contents:
Shelby Moore Cullom was a lawyer and statesman who served as an Illinois state representative, 1860-61, 1872-74; congressman, 1865-71; governor, 1876-83; and senator, 1883-1913.
The collection contains forty-six letters, two proclamations, and three certificates. The correspondence, from Cullom's years as a congressman, governor, and senator, includes requests for appointed positions, and a letter to Isaac Arnold, on Mar. 19, 1883, in which Cullom reports on a stirring speech delivered by Stephen A. Douglas to the Illinois legislature on Apr. 25, 1861. The proclamations concern the 1877 railroad strike, and the certificates concern the appointments of notaries public and a commissioner of the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet.
The microfilm was made from originals in the Chicago History Museum.