A Kentuckian like Lincoln, Stuart graduated from Center College in 1826 and studied law with Judge Daniel Breck. Soon thereafter he settled in Springfield, where in 1833 he formed a partnership with Henry E. Dummer. The previous year he had run successfully for the legislature, quickly rising to become a Whig leader in the House of Representatives. There he was known as “Jerry Sly” for his mastery of legislative intrigue. William Herndon thought him “tricky” and a “dodger.” Political opponents denounced him as “indolent and inefficient,” condemned his “low cunning,” and bestowed upon him the sobriquets “sleepy Johnny” and “the Rip Van Winkle of the Junto.”
Source: Abraham Lincoln ∶ A Life ▫𓂃
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