Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the divided Democratic Party to run for president in the 1860 presidential election, representative of the Northern Democrats, and lost to Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln. Douglas had previously defeated Lincoln in the 1858 United States Senate election in Illinois, known for the pivotal Lincoln–Douglas debates. Earlier, Douglas was one of the brokers of the Compromise of 1850, which sought to avert a sectional crisis. To further deal with the volatile issue of extending slavery into the territories, Douglas became the foremost advocate of popular sovereignty, which held that each territory should be allowed to determine whether to permit slavery within its borders. This attempt to address the issue was rejected by both pro-slavery and anti-slavery advocates. Standing 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall, Douglas was nicknamed the "Little Giant" because he was short in physical stature but a forceful and dominant figure in politics.
Stephen A
Stephen A. Douglas, American educator and politician, 7th Illinois Secretary of State (died 1861)
On April 23, in the year 1813, Stephen A. Douglas, American educator and politician, 7th Illinois Secretary of State (died 1861). This event is recorded as a Notable Births event in the history of April 23, one of 445 recorded events on this date across all of history.
1 notable person is associated with this event, including Stephen A. Douglas. Learn more below.
Key Facts
- This event took place on April 23, 1813 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Notable Births event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
- 1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 10 April 2026.
On This Date in History 445
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
People Involved
More on April 23
George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia (died 1471)
George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia (died 1471)
Robert Fayrfax, English Renaissance composer (died 1521)
Robert Fayrfax, English Renaissance composer (died 1521)
Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian physician and scholar (died 1558)
Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian physician and scholar (died 1558)
Comments 0
Sign in to join the discussion.