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I miss Owen Lovejoy.
Though he died more than 150 years ago, I miss his voice, especially in Washington. Lovejoy represented Bureau County and a huge swath of northern Illinois in Congress from 1857 until his death in 1864.
It is nigh impossible to imagine Lovejoy ever selling his soul for political gain. He was in Congress to advance a moral cause – the end of slavery. Today, it seems the point for many is simply their own reelection. And, worse, at almost any cost to their constitutional duty to seriously legislate and to serve as a check on presidential power.
Right now, economic security for most Americans is declining, the social safety net for millions is being gutted, and basic rights like freedom of speech and the guarantee of due process are threatened. But what crucial issue occupied hours of floor debate in Congress recently? A bill to codify President Trump’s executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Standing up for the welfare of constituents and the country as a whole is fundamental to serving in Congress. At times, it calls for courage – even to face constituents at town halls back home. One wonders what it would take for a good number in the current House to show a semblance of the personal and political courage Lovejoy displayed throughout his life.
Owen Lovejoy could not be intimidated, silenced or bought. He railed against slavery from the pulpit of Princeton’s Hampshire Colony Church while serving as its minister for 17 years. He also made his role in the Underground Railroad so public he virtually invited a legal challenge. Tried for harboring two fugitive slaves, Lovejoy was acquitted on the grounds that Illinois was a free state.
Early on in his ministry, Lovejoy concluded that the path to ending slavery meant gaining political power. In the 1840s, he worked to establish a political party with an anti-slavery platform and twice ran for Congress. In 1854, he helped found the Illinois Republican Party and won a seat in the state legislature. In 1856, he was finally elected to Congress, where he spent the rest of his life representing us. There, he was considered the leader of the Illinois Radical Republicans.
In Illinois, Abraham Lincoln had initially been wary of Lovejoy and his radical anti-slavery politics. That changed. By 1860, Lovejoy was tirelessly campaigning for Lincoln to be elected president.
The relationship between Lovejoy as Congressman and Lincoln as President is instructive for today.
Once Lincoln took office in 1861, he began to rely a great deal on Lovejoy, especially in dealing with the other Radical Republicans. Lovejoy helped move Lincoln towards issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. A radical Lovejoy and a moderate Lincoln forged a bond characterized by Lincoln as one of “increasing respect and esteem.”
As a member of Congress, Lovejoy was never a sycophant humoring a president from his own party. He never gave up his principles – nor did Lincoln expect him to – to curry his favor. They trusted one another and collaborated strategically for the good of the country. No wonder that when Lovejoy died, Lincoln declared that Lovejoy had been his best friend in Congress.
In this current time of upheaval and fear for the country’s future as a democratic republic, we can take heart from Lovejoy’s resolve and courage long ago. He stood up for those who had no voice, he knew when to compromise, and he helped bring about the end of slavery.
Our elected leaders could learn a lot from Owen Lovejoy.
• Local historian Sarah Cooper lives in Princeton.