Guy Fraker is the author of a new book about Abraham Lincoln's time as an Illinois Circuit Attorney. (Photo by Laura Ewan/WJBC)

By Laura Ewan

Lincoln scholar Guy Fraker stopped by the morning show to talk about his new book: Lincoln's Ladder to the Presidency: The Eighth Judicial Circuit.

Fraker started this project back in fall of 2001 and finished the book in November of last year. His research took him all over Central Illinois, including Tremont, Pekin, Clinton, Urbana, Danville and of course Bloomington. Fraker says Bloomington played a very important role to Abraham Lincoln while he was on the circuit because so many of his principal supporters were here.

Lincoln started riding the cirucit by horseback in 1837 and continued up until the nomination for president in 1860. He would ride for the 11 weeks in the spring and 11 weeks in the fall. Fraker says Lincoln made a good living as a laywer, but he wasn't very worried about money and didn't save too well. Fraker says Lincoln may not have been the best lawyer, but he was very ambitious and no one could compete with his networking skills.

Click here to listen to the interview with Fraker.

Laura can be reached at laura@wjbc.com.