Abraham Lincoln

16th President Abraham Lincoln, 1861-186516th President Abraham Lincoln, 1861-186516th President Abraham Lincoln, 1861-186516th President Abraham Lincoln, 1861-186516th President Abraham Lincoln, 1861-186516th President Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1865

16th President Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1865

16th President of the United States
(March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865)

Full Name: Abraham Lincoln
Nicknames: "Honest Abe"; "Illinois Rail Splitter"

Born: February 12, 1809, in Hardin (now Larue) County, Kentucky
Died: April 15, 1865, at Petersen's Boarding House in Washington, D.C.

Father: Thomas Lincoln (1778-1851)
Mother: Nancy Hanks Lincoln (1784-1818)
Stepmother: Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln (1788-1869)
Married: Mary Todd (1818-1882), on November 4, 1842
Children: Robert Todd Lincoln (1843-1926); Edward Baker Lincoln (1846-50); William Wallace Lincoln (1850-62); Thomas "Tad" Lincoln (1853-71)

Religion: No formal affiliation
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Republican
Other Government Positions:

  • Elected to Illinois State Legislature, 1834
  • Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1847-49

Presidential Salary: $25,000/year

Presidential Election Results:

YearCandidatePopular VotesElectoral Votes
1860Abraham Lincoln1,865,593180
(map)John C. Breckinridge848,35672
John Bell592,90639
Stephen A. Douglas1,382,71312

YearCandidatePopular VotesElectoral Votes
1864Abraham Lincoln2,206,938212
(map)George B. McClellan1,803,78721
(Votes Not Cast)81

Vice Presidents: Hannibal Hamlin (1861-65); Andrew Johnson (1865)

Cabinet:

Secretary of State
William H. Seward (1861-65)
Secretary of the Treasury
Salmon P. Chase (1861-64)
William P. Fessenden (1864-65)
Hugh McCulloch (1865)
Secretary of War
Simon Cameron (1861-62)
Edwin M. Stanton (1862-65)
Attorney General
Edward Bates (1861-64)
James Speed (1864-65)
Postmaster General
Montgomery Blair (1861-64)
William Dennison (1864-65)
Secretary of the Navy
Gideon Welles (1861-65)
Secretary of the Interior
Caleb B. Smith (1861-63)
John P. Usher (1863-65)

Supreme Court Justices:
Noah Haynes Swayne (1862-1881)
Samuel Freeman Miller (1862-1890)
David Davis (1862-1877)
Stephen Johnson Field (1863-1897)
Salmon P. Chase, Chief (1864-1873)

Notable Events:
Internet Biographies:
Abraham Lincoln -- from The Presidents of the United States of America
Compiled by the White House.
Abraham Lincoln -- from The American President
From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.
Abraham Lincoln -- from Encyclopaedia Britannica
Facts about Lincoln and his presidency.
Abraham Lincoln -- from History Place
History of Abraham Lincoln in a timeline format with photographs. Hypertext links add more detail to the issues of the time.
Videos:
Other Internet Resources:
Abraham Lincoln Research Site
Created by Roger Norton, a retired American History teacher, this site provides information on the assassination, his words and accomplishments, and a chronology.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site
Tourist information on the 116.5-acre park that commemorates the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. Located in Hogenville, Kentucky.
Assassination of President Lincoln And the Trial of the Assassins
This site illustrates and presents a 50 page paper of Brigadier-General Henry L. Burnett's memories of the Lincoln Assassination Trial at which he served as special judge advocate. The paper was discovered in a file on Gen. Burnett in the library at Goshen NY, the town in which Gen. Burnett lived at the end of his life. Created by Mary S. Van Deusen.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The museum combines priceless historical artifacts with innovative, contemporary storytelling technologies. The library provides access to an extensive collection of materials relating to Abraham Lincoln and his era.
The Best Biographies of Abraham Lincoln
In 2012, Stephen Floyd started his search for the best biography of each president. He usually has reviews of multiple biographies for each president.
Ford's Theater
The Washington, D.C. theater where Lincoln was shot. This site by the National Park Service contains history, virtual tours, tourist information and a list of related web sites.
Health and Medical History of Abraham Lincoln
Medical background of each president with references. Compiled by John Sotos, MD.
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Tourist information for this Lincoln City, Indiana site where Lincoln spent fourteen years of his life growing up.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Visitors information on the only home Lincoln ever owned. Located in Springfield, Illinois.
Lincoln Log Cabin
Located near Charleston, Illinois. Tourist information and history of the cabin can be found here.
Lincoln Memorial
Tribute to the 16th President of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C. From the National Park Service.
Lincoln Tomb State Historical Site
The burial site of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln and three of their four children. A virtual tour, as well as tourist information, can be found on this site.
Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site
While running for the U.S. Senate in 1856, Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas debated seven times throughout the state of Illinois. Here are the locations that those debates took place.
Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site
The only one of three law offices of Lincoln's still standing. Tourist information on this Springfield, Illinois site also available.
Mount Rushmore
Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt stand 60 feet tall.
Petersen's Boarding House
The house where Lincoln died. Narratives and photos of the place where Lincoln spent his last few hours.
Points of Interest:
Additional Facts:
  • Lincoln was the first president to die by assassination.
  • Abraham Lincoln was shot while watching a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. The same play was also running at the McVerick Theatre in Chicago on May 18, 1860, the day Lincoln was nominated for president in that city.
  • The contents of his pockets on the night of his assassination weren't revealed until February 12, 1976. They contained two pairs of spectacles, a chamois lens cleaner, an ivory and silver pocketknife, a large white Irish linen handkerchief, slightly used, with "A. Lincoln" embroidered in red, a gold quartz watch fob without a watch, a new silk-lined, leather wallet containing a pencil, a Confederate five-dollar bill, and news clippings of unrest in the Confederate army, emancipation in Missouri, the Union party platform of 1864, and an article on the presidency by John Bright.
  • At 6 foot, 4 inches, Lincoln was the tallest president.
  • Abe Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died when the family dairy cow ate White Snakeroot and she drank the milk.
  • Lincoln had a wart on his right cheek, a scar on his thumb from an ax accident, and a scar over his right eye from a fight with a gang of thieves.
  • Mrs. Lincoln's brother, half-brothers, and brothers-in-law fought in the Confederate Army.
  • Lincoln was the only president to receive a patent, for a device for lifting boats over shoals.
  • He was the first president to wear a beard.
  • During the Civil War, telegraph wires were strung to follow the action on the battlefield. But there was no telegraph office in the White House, so Lincoln went across the street to the War Department to get the news.
  • He was the first president to be photographed at his inauguration. John Wilkes Booth (his assassin) can be seen standing close to Lincoln in the picture.
  • Lincoln and his wife held seances in the White House. They had great interest in psychic phenomena.
  • His son, Robert, who was in Washington when his father was killed, was also on the scene when Garfield was shot in 1881 and McKinley was assassinated in 1901.
  • Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be born outside of the original thirteen colonies.
  • Lincoln loved the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Quotes:

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

“I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.”

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”

“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

“My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”

“Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.”

“Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.”

“If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?”

Previous President: James Buchanan
Next President: Andrew Johnson