John White Stevenson was a U.S. Representative, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, the 25th Governor of Kentucky and U.S. Senator. His father, Andrew Stevenson, had served as Speaker of the House and minister to Great Britain. His cousin, Willoughby Newton, also served in Congress, and his great-grandfather, Carter Braxton, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Stevenson's political career began in 1845 with his election to the Kentucky House of Representatives. During his tenure, he helped revise the state's code of laws and was a delegate to the constitutional convention of 1849. He was then elected to the United States House of Representatives, but became identified with states' rightists and failed to win re- election in 1860. To avoid arrest by federal forces, he kept a low profile throughout the Civil War