June 7 Illinois History Minute

It’s June 7 and a politician who tried to get slavery legalized in Illinois was born on this day in 1794. Elias Kent Kane, the namesake of Kane County, was a delegate to Illinois’ first constitutional convention in 1818. There, the future senator was part of a faction that lobbied unsuccessfully for language permitting slavery in the new state.

Hope Summers headed the speech department at Bradley University in Peoria, but show business was in her future. Her acting career included a recurring role on the Andy Griffith Show as Clara, Aunt Bee’s best friend. Hope Summers was born on this day in Mattoon in 1902.