Biography

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States of America from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.

Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky, to Thomas and Nancy (Hanks) Lincoln. When Lincoln was eight, he moved with his family to Indiana where they engaged in settler life. Lincoln was principally self-educated and was an avid reader. In 1830, the family made one final move to Illinois. Lincoln took odd jobs, including working as a storekeeper and moving goods by flatboat to New Orleans until he began studying the law.

Lincoln was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1834 where he served four terms. In 1846, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the state of Illinois. In 1860, he won the nomination for the Republican candidate for President and was elected by the American people to that office in 1861. In 1864, he was re-elected President for his second term.

Lincoln married Mary Todd on November 4, 1842, in Springfield, Illinois. The couple had four children: Robert Todd, Edward "Eddie" Baker, William "Willie" Wallace, and Thomas "Tad" Lincoln. The premature deaths of Eddie and Willie were a source of deep grieving for the couple.

Lincoln served as U.S. President for the duration of the Civil War. William H. Seward served as the President's Secretary of State and the two developed a warm friendship. On the evening of April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play in Ford's Theater. He was pronounced dead on April 15.