Peter Cartwright, born three miles southeast, helped develop Methodism as a circuit rider in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. The library he carried in his saddlebag included a Bible, a hymnal, and The Book of Discipline. Although he lacked formal education himself, he encouraged it in others, and several Midwestern colleges count him as a founder. In 1828 he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. In 1832, he was one of four candidates elected in a field of thirteen, while Abraham Lincoln ran eighth and lost. In 1846, Lincoln defeated Cartwright for Congress.