Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Stephen A. Douglas (1813–1861), the "Little Giant" of antebellum politics, followed an unconventional educational path for a future U.S. Senator and presidential contender.
Born in Brandon, Vermont, Douglas attended Brandon Academy, where the curriculum—classical languages, mathematics, rhetoric—mirrored Yale College's under the guidance of John Calhoun (no relation to the statesman). This rigorous foundation shaped his formidable debating skills.
At 17, Douglas moved to Canandaigua, New York, to study law under his uncle, Levi Douglas. He prepared intensively for Canandaigua Academy's entrance requirements and graduated in 1830—at just 15 years old (some sources say 17; records vary).
Douglas never attended college or law school. He "read law" in the offices of Walter Hubbell and John C. Spencer in Canandaigua, gaining admission to the Illinois bar in 1834 after moving west. His education exemplifies the 19th-century path: academy preparation → apprenticeship → bar examination.
Despite minimal formal schooling, Douglas became a master legislator, orator, and constitutional theorist—proof that in Jacksonian America, ambition and intellect could transcend credential barriers.