Abraham Lincoln, one of the most recognizable Presidents in U.S. history, migrated to Illinois with his family in his early twenties, living several places before settling in New Salem. Lincoln was elected to the Illinois state legislature in 1834 and moved to Springfield a short time later to begin practicing law.

Ulysses S. Grant, America’s 18th President, served after President Johnson during Reconstruction after the Civil War. A well-known Union Army hero, Grant was living in Galena when the war broke out, leaving to command the Union army.

Ronald Reagan was the only president born in Illinois. Reagan was raised in Dixon and attended Eureka College before leaving Illinois. Reagan spent most of his adult life in California, however, and considered that state home. 

President Obama moved to Chicago in his mid-twenties, working as a community organizer on the South Side before entering law school in 1988. Obama taught law at the University of Chicago and was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996. The rest, as they say, is history.

Learn more:
Abraham Lincoln's Biography
Ulysses S. Grant's Biography
Ronald Reagan's Biography
President Obama's Biography