Lyman Trumbull

Lyman Trumbull
Mathew Benjamin Brady / Levin Corbin Handy · Public domain · source
Name	Lyman Trumbull
Caption	Lyman Trumbull, c. 1870
Office	United States Senator from Illinois
Term start	March 4, 1855
Term end	March 3, 1873
Predecessor	James Shields
Successor	Richard J. Oglesby
Office2	Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
Term start2	1848
Term end2	1853
Birth date	12 October 1813
Birth place	Colchester, Connecticut
Death date	25 June 1896
Death place	Chicago, Illinois
Party	Democratic (before 1854), Republican (1854–1872), Liberal Republican (1872), Democratic (after 1872)
Spouse	Julia Maria Jayne, 1843
Alma mater	Yale University
Profession	Lawyer, Politician, Judge

Lyman Trumbull was a prominent United States Senator from Illinois and a key architect of foundational Reconstruction legislation. His legal and legislative work was instrumental in defining and expanding civil rights in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Trumbull is best remembered for authoring the Thirteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, laying the constitutional groundwork for the principle of equality before the law.

Early Life and Political Career

Lyman Trumbull was born in Colchester, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale University before moving west to practice law. He settled in Belleville, Illinois, where he quickly entered politics, initially as a Democrat. He served as Illinois Secretary of State and was elected as a Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1848. His political views began to shift with the escalating national crisis over slavery in the United States. Opposed to the expansion of slavery under the Kansas–Nebraska Act, Trumbull helped found the Republican Party in Illinois. In 1855, he was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate, where he became a close ally of Abraham Lincoln.

Role in the 13th Amendment and Emancipation

As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trumbull played a pivotal role in crafting legislation to end slavery. He was the principal author of the Confiscation Acts, which authorized the seizure of Confederate property and declared that slaves used for insurrectionary purposes were free. His most significant contribution was drafting the final text of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. Trumbull shepherded the amendment through the Senate, delivering powerful speeches that framed emancipation as a military necessity and a moral imperative, culminating in its passage in April 1864.

Authorship of the Civil Rights Act of 1866

Following the Civil War, Trumbull turned his attention to securing the rights of the newly freed African Americans. He authored the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1866, which was designed to counteract the Black Codes enacted by Southern states. The Act declared that all persons born in the United States were citizens and entitled to the same rights—to make contracts, sue, give evidence, and hold property—"as is enjoyed by white citizens." It was a radical assertion of federal power to guarantee civil rights. When President Andrew Johnson vetoed the bill, Trumbull led the successful override effort in the Senate, marking the first time Congress overrode a presidential veto on a major piece of legislation.

Involvement with the 14th Amendment

Trumbull's Civil Rights Act of 1866 directly influenced the drafting of the Fourteenth Amendment. The amendment's first section, which guarantees citizenship, due process, and equal protection of the laws, essentially constitutionalized the principles of Trumbull's Act. While Trumbull was not a member of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction that drafted the amendment, his legislative work provided its core legal framework. He voted for the amendment and advocated for its passage, viewing it as essential to protecting the rights enshrined in his Civil Rights Act from being overturned by a future Congress.

Break with the Republican Party and Later Career

Trumbull's commitment to principle over party led to a dramatic political break. He grew disillusioned with the Radical Republicans and the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, particularly over issues of corruption and Reconstruction policy. In 1872, he joined the Liberal Republican movement and was a leading defense attorney for those prosecuted in the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire. He later returned to the Democratic Party. In his final major political act, he served as counsel for John Peter Altgeld, the reformist governor of Illinois, and continued to practice law in Chicago until his death in 1896.

Legacy and Impact on Civil Rights

Lyman Trumbull's legacy is foundational to American civil rights law. His authorship of the Thirteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 created the legal instruments to dismantle slavery and begin defining national citizenship. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, inspired by his, became the cornerstone for landmark Supreme Court decisions in the 20th century, including Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and rulings supporting the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Historians regard Trumbull as a crucial, though sometimes overlooked, figure whose legislative craftsmanship translated the Union's victory into enduring constitutional guarantees of liberty and equality before the law for all citizens.