A devout Democrat in a staunchly Republican district, Adlai E. Stevenson I managed to be twice elected to the U.S. Congress by the people of McLean County in the 1870s. From 1893-1897, Stevenson served as Vice President under President Grover Cleveland and was the vice presidential running-mate of William Jennings Bryan in 1900. Stevenson was the first to initiate a lengthy legacy of Stevensons who held political office.
