Thomas Ford, governor of Illinois in the 1840s, took a more charitable view of the state’s legislators, most of whom were, in his opinion, simply gladhanders. The “great prevailing principle upon which each party acted in selecting candidates for office was, to get popular men,” he recalled. “Men who had made themselves agreeable to the people by a continual show of friendship … who were loved for their gaiety, cheerfulness, apparent goodness of heart, and agreeable manners.” Though unlearned, the members of the General Assembly were, Ford said, “generally shrewd, sensible men, who, from their knowledge of human nature, and tact in managing the masses, are amongst the master spirits of their several counties.” Not all legislators were amiable conciliators, however; some hotheads challenged opponents to duels.
Source: Abraham Lincoln ∶ A Life ▫𓂃
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