The house was the home of Senator Lyman Trumbull, a staunch Union supporter, strong ally of Abraham Lincoln, and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee who spearheaded and helped pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States. Trumbull defeated Stephen A. Douglas in the 1855 U.S. Senate race after Lincoln threw his support to him, and their wives were bridesmaids in each other's weddings. Trumbull also served as Illinois Secretary of State, on the Supreme Court of Illinois, and as U.S. senator from 1855 to 1873. Built sometime between 1820 and 1837, the Trumbull House is now a private residence and a National Historic Landmark.
