 |
Abraham Lincoln
b. 12 Feb 1809, near Hodgenville, Hardin County, Kentucky
d. 15 Apr 1865, Washington, D.C. |
| Title: |
President of the United States |
| Term: |
4 Mar 1861 - 4 Mar 1865 |
| Chronology: |
13 Feb 1861,
election to the office of President of the United States is declared upon counting electoral votes (cast 5 Dec 1860),
joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives, House Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. [1] |
|
4 Mar 1861,
commencement of term |
|
4 Mar 1861,
took an oath of office as President of the United States, inaugural ceremony as part of the special session of the Senate, East Portico, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. [2] |
|
4 Mar 1865,
expiration of term |
| Term: |
4 Mar 1865 - 15 Apr 1865 |
| Chronology: |
8 Feb 1865,
election to the office of President of the United States is declared upon counting electoral votes (cast 7 Dec 1864),
joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives, House Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. [3] |
|
4 Mar 1865,
commencement of term |
|
4 Mar 1865,
took an oath of office as President of the United States, inaugural ceremony as part of the special session of the Senate, East Portico, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. [4] |
|
15 Apr 1865, died (assassination) [5] |
| Biography: |
| Born in the family of a Kentucky farmer; moved with his parents to a tract on Little Pigeon Creek, Indiana, in 1816; attended a log-cabin school at short intervals and was self-instructed in elementary branches; moved with his father to Macon County, Illinois, in 1830 and later to Coles County, Illinois; read the principles of law and works on surveying; during the Black Hawk War volunteered in a company of Sangamon County Rifles in 1832; was elected its captain and served until the company was mustered out of service; reenlisted as a private and served until mustered out 16 Jun 1832; returned to New Salem, Illinois, and was unsuccessful as a candidate for the State House of Representatives; entered business as a general merchant in New Salem; postmaster of New Salem (1833-1836); deputy county surveyor (1834-1836); elected a member of the State House of Representatives in 1834, 1836, 1838, and 1840; declined to be a candidate for renomination; admitted to the bar in 1836; moved to Springfield, Illinois, in 1837 and engaged in the practice of law; elected as a Whig to the 30th Congress (4 Mar 1847 - 4 Mar 1849); did not seek a renomination in 1848; an unsuccessful applicant for Commissioner of the General Land Office under President Zachary Taylor; tendered the Governorship of Oregon Territory, but declined; unsuccessful Whig candidate for election to the US Senate before the legislature of 1855; unsuccessful Republican candidate for the US Senate in 1858; elected as a Republican President of the United States in 1860; principal war leader during the Civil War between the federal government of the United States and 11 Southern states (1861-1865); issued Emancipation Proclamations (22 Sep 1862 and 1 Jan 1863), bringing freedom to a large part of the Negro slaves; reelected President in 1864; shot by an assassin (14 Apr 1865), and died the following day. |
| Biographical sources: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (2005). |
| Elections: |
| Candidate |
Electoral vote (5 Dec 1860) |
| Abraham Lincoln |
180 |
| John Cabell Breckinridge |
72 |
| John Bell |
39 |
| Stephen Arnold Douglas |
12 |
| total number of electors appointed |
303 |
| number of votes for a majority |
152 |
| Candidate |
Electoral vote (7 Dec 1864) |
| Abraham Lincoln |
212 |
| George Brinton McClellan |
21 |
| total number of electors appointed |
234 |
| number of votes for a majority * |
118 |
|
| * One elector did not vote (requirements for attaining a majority for election) |
| Source of electoral results: Senate Journal, 36th Congress, 2nd Session, 222-223; Congressional Globe, 36th Congress, 2nd Session, 894; Senate Journal, 38th Congress, 2nd Session, 149-150; Congressional Globe, 38th Congress, 2nd Session, 669.
|
| |
| [1] |
Senate Journal, 36th Congress, 2nd Session, 221-223; Congressional Globe, 36th Congress, 2nd Session, 893-895. |
| [2] |
Senate Journal, 36th Congress, 2nd Session, 399-409; Congressional Globe, 36th Congress, 2nd Session, Senate - Special Session, 1433-1435. |
| [3] |
Senate Journal, 38th Congress, 2nd Session, 148-150; Congressional Globe, 38th Congress, 2nd Session, 668-669. |
| [4] |
Senate Journal, 38th Congress, 2nd Session, 343-347; Congressional Globe, 38th Congress, 2nd Session, Senate - Special Session, 1424-1425. |
| [5] |
Sunday Morning Chronicle, Washington, April 16, 1865; "The Life and Public Services of Abraham Lincoln," ed. by Henry J. Raymond (New York: Derby and Miller, 1865), 785-786. |
|
Image: photograph by Alexander Gardner (taken 8 Nov 1863). |
