Trumbull, Lyman (1813-1896), was an American political leader. He strongly opposed slavery. As a United States senator, he supported President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War (1861-1865), and helped frame Amendment 13 to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery. Trumbull guided Amendment 14, guaranteeing the rights of African Americans, through Congress. He voted against conviction after President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment in 1868.
Trumbull was born on Oct. 12, 1813, in Colchester, Connecticut, and moved to Illinois in 1837. He served in public office as a Democrat, a Republican, and a Liberal Republican. Trumbull served on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1849 to 1854 and in the United States Senate from 1855 to 1873. After leaving the Senate, Trumbull was active in Illinois politics as a Democrat and then as a Populist. He died on June 25, 1896.
