Douglas, Stephen A(rnold)

Douglas, Stephen A(rnold)
born April 23, 1813, Brandon, Vt., U.S.
died June 3, 1861, Chicago, Ill.

U.S. politician.

He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–47) and Senate (1847–61), where he strongly supported the Union and national expansion. To settle the bitter dispute over the extension of slavery to the territories, he developed the policy of popular sovereignty. He was influential in the passage of the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Short and heavyset, he was dubbed "the Little Giant" for his oratorical skill. In 1858 he engaged in a number of widely publicized debates with Abraham Lincoln in a close contest for the Senate seat in Illinois (see Lincoln-Douglas Debates). The Democrats nominated Douglas for president in 1860, but a splinter group of Southerners nominated John C. Breckinridge, which divided the Democratic vote and gave the presidency to Lincoln. In 1861 he undertook a mission for Lincoln to gain support for the Union among the Southern border states and in the Northwest. His untimely death of typhoid was partly a result of these exertions.

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  • Douglas, Stephen A(rnold) — (23 abr. 1813, Brandon, Vt., EE.UU.–3 jun., 1861, Chicago, Ill). Político estadounidense. Fue elegido miembro de la Cámara de Representantes (1843–47) y del senado (1847–61), donde apoyó con energía la Unión y la expansión nacional. Con el fin de …   Enciclopedia Universal

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  • Stephen — (as used in expressions) Austin, Stephen (Fuller) Bechtel, Stephen D(avison) Benét, Stephen Vincent Biko, Stephen Breyer, Stephen (Gerald) Brook, Sir Peter (Stephen Paul) Case, Stephen Cleveland, (Stephen) Grover Crane, Stephen Decatur, Stephen… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Douglas — Douglas1 [dug′ləs] n. [< Gael, lit., black stream] a masculine name: dim. Doug Douglas2 [dug′ləs] 1. Sir James 1286? 1330; Scot. military leader: called Black Douglas 2. Sir James 1358? 88; Scot. military leader 3. (George) Norman 1868 1952;… …   English World dictionary

  • Douglas — /dug leuhs/, n. 1. Sir James ( the Black Douglas ), 1286 1330, Scottish military leader. 2. James, 2nd Earl of, 1358? 88, Scottish military leader. 3. Kirk (Issur Danielovitch Demsky), born 1916, U.S. actor. 4. Lloyd C(assel) /kas euhl/, 1877… …   Universalium

  • Douglas — Doug•las [[t]ˈdʌg ləs[/t]] n. 1) big Kirk(Issur Danielovitch Demsky), born 1916, U.S. actor 2) big Stephen A(rnold), 1813–61, U.S. political leader 3) big William O(rville), 1898–1980, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1939–75 4) geg… …   From formal English to slang

  • Arnold — Arnold, Benedict Arnold, Gottfried Arnold, Matthew Arnold, Thomas * * * (as used in expressions) Arnold, Benedict Arnold, Henry (Harley) Hap Arnold Arnold, Matthew Arnold, Thomas doctor Arnold Bax, Sir Arnold (Edwar …   Enciclopedia Universal

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