Abraham Lincoln spent nearly 20 years practicing law on the 8th Judicial Circuit, and Urbana, the county seat of Champaign County, remained on his circuit as its boundaries changed from 8 counties in 1841 to 15 in 1845 to 8 in 1853 to 5 in 1857. Each fall and spring, he traveled the roads from Decatur to Urbana to Danville, on horseback or by carriage, often with other lawyers and a judge, assisting with the civil and criminal cases before the court. In Champaign County he unsuccessfully defended the first person accused of murder, though the defendant escaped shortly after the trial, and he also represented the interests of the Illinois Central Railroad at the Urbana courthouse. Over time he became a familiar face in the county and a friend to many early residents. He also campaigned there, speaking against the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, speaking for Fremont in his presidential campaign against Buchanan at an all-day rally in Urbana, and defending his House Divided speech at the county courthouse during his senatorial campaign against Stephen Douglas. After Douglas spoke on September 23, 1858, the last day of the county fair, Lincoln addressed nearly as many people the next day, and enthusiasts escorted him in a full-scale parade from the Doane House to the fairgrounds to the courthouse. By the 1860 presidential election, all townships except Stanton voted for Lincoln.