Additional information
by Guy C. Fraker (Author), Michael Burlingame (Foreword by)
Univeristy Press Books for Public and Secondary Schools 2013 edition
Superior Achievement by the Illinois State Historical Society, 2013
Each spring and fall, Lincoln traveled to as many as fourteen county seats in the Eighth Judicial Circuit to appear in consecutive court sessions over a ten- to twelve-week period. Fraker describes the people and counties that Lincoln encountered, discusses key cases Lincoln handled, and introduces the important friends he made, friends who eventually formed the team that executed Lincoln's nomination strategy at the Chicago Republican Convention in 1860 and won him the presidential nomination.
As Fraker shows, the Eighth Judicial Circuit provided the perfect setting for the growth and ascension of Lincoln. A complete portrait of the sixteenth president depends on a full understanding of his experience on the circuit, and Lincoln's Ladder to the Presidency provides that understanding as well as a fresh perspective on the much-studied figure, thus deepening our understanding of the roots of his political influence and acumen.
Author Biography
Guy C. Fraker has been a student of Lincoln since a childhood visit to New Salem. He practiced law for 52 years in Bloomington, Illinois and other counties that were once part of Lincoln's Eighth Circuit. He is the author of Looking for Lincoln in Illinois: A Guide to Lincoln's Eighth Judicial Circuit. He has spoken frequently and written extensively about Lincoln. He served a number of years as the initial chair of the board of Looking for Lincoln and is a longtime member of the Board of the Abraham Lincoln Association.
