Lyman Trumbull was born in Colchester, Connecticut. He began teaching school at the age of sixteen and later
studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1837. He moved to Belleville, in southern Illinois and became active in state
government. In 1841 he was elected secretary of state and in 1848 he became a justice on the State Supreme Court.
He was elected as a Democrat to the state legislature in 1854, then elected by the same body as a United States Senator
a few month later in 1855. He became a Republican because of his opposition to the expansion of slavery, and was reelected
to the Senate as a Republican in 1861 and 1867.
Trumbull was one of seven Republicans who broke party ranks and voted against the conviction of
President Johnson during his impeachment trial in the Senate. The Senator was dubious about the legitimacy of the impeachment
process, had fears that it would ultimately hurt the Republican party politically, and was contemptuous of
Benjamin Wade , who was next in line for the Presidency. In 1872, he joined other Liberal Republicans in supporting
Horace Greely 's presidential candidacy against the reelection of President Grant. In 1880, Trumbull was the unsuccessful Democratic
gubernatorial candidate nominee in Illinois. A long-time advocate of "soft money", he supported the Populist party in the 1890's.
He died in Chicago.