Lincoln’s years as lawyer in Illinois subject of presentation at History Museum

QUINCY — Lincoln the Lawyer will be presented at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 22 at the History Museum, 332 Maine. The Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County is the host.

Sam Wheeler, director of history programs at the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission in Springfield, will delve into Lincoln’s years as a lawyer in Illinois and how those years shaped his presidency. The program also will include a segment on early Adams County lawyers and legal cases by Reg Ankrom.

Wheeler specializes in the history of the state, the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. He has worked in the field of public history for more than two decades, including as state historian of Illinois and director of research and collections at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Ankrom, a former executive director of the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, has degrees from Illinois College and University of Kansas. He is a historian and local author who has published “Stephen A. Douglas: The Political Apprenticeship” and “Stephen A. Douglas: Western Man.”

A reception will be held after the program where attendees can meet the presenters.

This program is sponsored by HSQAC member Beth Young. It is free and open to the public.

For questions, contact the Historical Society Office at 217-222-1835.