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Lincoln Is One of the Four Assassinated US Presidents in History
Abraham Lincoln facts reveal that not only was he one of the four US presidents (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy) who were assassinated, but that he was actually the first assassinated US president. Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1809 at 10.15 p.m. (EST) in Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. and died at 7.20 a.m. on the following day in the house across the street from the theatre, nowadays known as the Petersen House.
Lincoln Lost 5 Elections before Being Elected US President Twice
His first election loss occurred in 1832 when he lost the election for the Illinois General Assembly. In the following years, he lost one race for U.S. Congress, two races for U.S. Senate and one campaign for the nomination for a vice president. But all these losses seemed unimportant when he was finally elected the 16th President of the United States of America in November 1860.
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Lincoln Ranks as the 21st US President by Time in Office
Although Lincoln was elected twice (in 1860 and 1864), he only served one full term, plus 1 month and 11 days of his second term before he was assassinated in 1865. In total, he spent 1,503 days as the President of the USA. For comparison: to date, Franklin D. Roosevelt has spent the most time in the office – he served for a total of 4,422 days (3 full terms, plus 83 days of his fourth term).
Lincoln Was the President during the Biggest War on American Soil
We are, of course, talking about the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865 and claimed over 1 million casualties, which was equal to 3% of the population at the time. He was the commander-in-chief of 25 states that formed the Union. Lincoln was killed less than a month before the war officially ended in May 1865, and only 5 days after General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union, effectively ending the Civil War.
Lincoln Received only about 18 Months of Formal Education in His Life
Abraham Lincoln was born to a farmer and carpenter, Thomas Lincoln, and seamstress Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He spent most of his youth working on various farms his father owned. He received a small amount of formal schooling from various itinerant teachers, but was known as an avid reader ever since his early youth. He worked as a merchant, a postmaster, a county surveyor and a lawyer, although he had no formal education in any of these fields. He was also a captain in the Illinois Militia prior to starting his political career.
Lincoln Is Considered to Be the Greatest US President in History
At least, he is according to the statistics of various scholar surveys, where he often ranks as first, second or third best president in US history. He also ranked first in the C-SPAN presidential poll in 1999, ABC’s poll in 2000 and New York Times’ Five Thirty Eight analysis in 2013. Franklin D. Roosevelt and George Washington are usually his biggest competitors when it comes to determining the greatest US President in history…
Abraham Lincoln Was the First Republican President
Although first six US Presidents belonged to the Democratic-Republican Party (from which both the modern Republicans and modern Democrats evolved), Abraham Lincoln was the first US president to come from the then new Republican Party, which was officially formed 6 years before his first presidential election win – in 1854. Lincoln helped build the reputation of the party and greatly contributed to its domination on the national political scene that lasted practically all the way to the 1930s.
2 Vice-presidents Worked under Lincoln during His Presidency
The first, serving as Vice-President during Lincoln’s first term, was Hannibal Hamlet – a man who supposedly disliked Lincoln’s wife Mary (and vice versa). The second was a Democrat -Andrew Johnson – who succeeded Lincoln after his assassination and thus became the 17th President of the United States of America. Johnson served from 1865 until 1869, and, conversely to Lincoln, is often considered to be one of the worst US presidents.
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Lincoln Established the United States Secret Service
Although the organisation was only formally established 3 months after Lincoln’s death, it was actually founded on the day President Lincoln died – the legislation that created the Secret Service was supposedly on his desk that day. But even if the Secret Service had actually been functioning at the time the assassination took place, it wouldn’t have been able to help Lincoln himself since its responsibility at the time was only suppressing counterfeiting.
Lincoln Hated His Nickname “Abe”
We frequently use the name Abe Lincoln when referring to the 16th President of the United States of America, but the man himself actually hated this nickname. He strongly preferred his last name, so most people called him Lincoln, Mr. Lincoln, or Mr. President after he had been elected. Even his own wife, Mary, was believed to have addressed him as Mr. Lincoln!
Lincoln Was the Tallest among All US Presidents
Lincoln’s great height was one of the reasons so many people respected and feared him. At 6 feet and 4 inches, he is the tallest President of the United States in history. For comparison: the average presidential height is around 5 feet and 11 inches. The shortest US President in history is James Madison, who stood a whole foot shorter than Lincoln, at 5 feet and 4 inches.
Lincoln Is the Only US President to Hold a Patent
“Be it known that I, Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon, in the state of Illinois, have invented a new and improved manner of combining adjustable buoyant air chambers with a steam boat or other vessel for the purpose of enabling their draught of water to be readily lessened to enable them to pass over bars, or through shallow water, without discharging their cargoes…”.
This is how Abraham Lincoln described his patent No. 6469 in 1849. However, the patent was never commercialised, and was never used in actual boats.
Robert Lincoln Was the Only Son of President Lincoln Who Lived to Adulthood
His other three sons – Thomas, Willie and Edward – all died as children due to different diseases, but his firstborn, Robert, lived to 82 years of age and became a lawyer and politician himself.One of the strangest Abraham Lincoln facts reveals that Robert could have also died in his youth if not for Edwin Booth, the brother of the man who later killed his father. Edwin prevented Robert’s serious injuries, or even potential death, by pulling him back onto the train platform after Robert had slipped, when his back was pressed against a train that suddenly started moving.
The Last Undisputed Descendant of Abraham Lincoln Died in 1985
Abraham Lincoln facts reveal that this descendant’s full name was Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, and that he died childless on Christmas Eve of 1985. He was Abraham Lincoln’s great-grandson, and was the grandson of Lincoln’s only son to survive childhood, Robert. There was a claim of a potential son (from Beckwith’s second wife) who would continue the line of Abraham Lincoln, but the boy was apparently born out of adultery and was thus never recognised as Robert Todd’s descendant.
Lincoln’s Dog Fido was also Assassinated
Abraham Lincoln facts reveal that the great president was very fond of animals, and was completely devoted to his dog Fido. Fido was entrusted to another family after Lincoln moved to Washington D.C., but attended Lincoln’s funeral in April 1865. Fido was sadly later violently killed himself – the dog was stabbed by a drunk man on the street within a year of his previous master’s death.
Lincoln Had Dream about His Assassination before It Happened
Lincoln is believed to have had a premonition about two weeks before his death, and actually anticipated the assassination. He also told his bodyguard on April 14, 1865 that he had dreamed about being assassinated for three nights in a row. Sadly, his dreams became a reality that very evening. Lincoln was apparently very interested in dreams and their meanings, and often discussed the topic with friends.
Lincoln’s Heterosexuality Has Been Disputed on Numerous Occasions
Abraham Lincoln facts reveal that he might have been a homosexual or bisexual. Various biographers have claimed this to be the case, and there are stories about Lincoln frequently sleeping in the same bed as his male friends. If the rumours are true, David Derickson, Lincoln’s bodyguard in 1862-63, might have been one of his lovers. No actual proof of Abraham Lincoln’s homosexuality has been presented so far.
Lincoln Established Thanksgiving as a National Holiday
Abraham Lincoln facts reveal that Thanksgiving has been celebrated ever since the early 1600s, but it was Lincoln who proclaimed it a national holiday in all US states in 1863. Due to the war, his proclamation was not fully realised, so the actual realisation of Thanksgiving becoming a nation-wide holiday occurred only after his death, in the 1870s.
Lincoln Become President without the Majority of the Popular Vote
In his first presidential elections in 1860, Lincoln got 180 out of 303 electoral votes (59%), but only slightly less than 40% of the popular vote. Only one elected US President in history received a smaller percentage in popular vote – John Quincy Adams in 1824 (31%). The highest ever level of support by popular vote was received by Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 presidential election – 61%.
Lincoln Was the First US President with a Beard
And Abraham Lincoln facts reveal that an 11-year-old girl was responsible for that beard! Grace Bedell sent a letter to Lincoln in 1860, just prior to the election, urging him to grow a beard to improve his appearance. Lincoln sent her a letter in response, notifying her that he couldn’t make any promises. However, by the time he got elected in November 1860, he already had a beard.
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Abraham Lincoln Facts— Facts about Abraham Lincoln Summary
Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States of America in 1860 and served one full term and 1 month and 11 days of his second term, before being assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on the evening of April 14, 1865. He is considered to be one of the most popular presidents in history, and among his greatest achievements are ending the Civil War, abolishing slavery and developing the economy of the USA. He worked as a lawyer prior to being elected, although he had very little formal education. He was married to Mary Todd, fathered four sons and even held a patent for moving boats in shallow waters.
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