Abraham Lincoln - Facts

February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865

Key facts about Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States who guided the federal government through most of the Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln, Portrait, Gardner

On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States. Elected to a second term in 1864, Lincoln died in office on April 15, 1865, from a gunshot delivered by assassin John Wilkes Booth the night before. Image Source: Wikimedia.

Full Name:

  • Abraham Lincoln

Birth Date:

  • February 12, 1809

Birth Location:

  • Hardin County, Kentucky

Parents:

  • Thomas and Nancy (Hanks) Lincoln

Education:

  • Limited

Occupation:

  • Lawyer
  • Politician

Career Summary:

  • U.S. Congressman
  • 16th President of the United States

Spouse:

  • Mary Todd (1840)

Nickname(s):

  • Honest Abe
  • Great Emancipator
  • Rail Splitter

Place of Death:

  • Washington DC

Date of Death:

  • April 15, 1865

Place of Burial:

  • Oak Ridge Cemetery, near Springfield, Illinois

Significance:

  • Abraham Lincoln’s family moved to Indiana in December 1816.
  • Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks, died on October 5, 1818.
  • Abraham Lincoln had less than one year of formal education
  • Abraham Lincoln’s father married Sarah Bush Johnston on December 2, 1819.
  • Abraham Lincoln’s family moved to Illinois in March 1830.
  • Abraham Lincoln separated from his family, moving to New Salem, Illinois in July 1831.
  • Abraham Lincoln served as a militia captain in the Black Hawk War (April-June 1832).
  • Abraham Lincoln lost an election bid to serve in the Illinois General Assembly on August 6, 1832.
  • Abraham Lincoln was elected to the Illinois General Assembly on August 6, 1834, at age 24.
  • Abraham Lincoln was admitted to the Illinois bar on March 1, 1837.
  • On March 15, 1837, Abraham Lincoln moved to Springfield, Illinois and began practicing law.
  • Abraham Lincoln was reelected to the Illinois State Legislature in 1836, 1838 and 1840.
  • Abraham Lincoln was engaged to Mary Todd in the autumn of 1840.
  • Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd married on November 4, 1842.
  • Abraham Lincoln was elected to the U.S. Congress as a Whig from Illinois on August 3, 1846.
  • Abraham Lincoln completed his term in Congress and returned to Springfield to practice law on March 31, 1849.
  • Abraham Lincoln was elected to the Illinois General Assembly on November 7, 1854.
  • Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “house divided” speech on June 16, 1858, while accepting the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate election.
  • Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas took part in the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates in August 1858.
  • Abraham Lincoln lost the senatorial election in Illinois legislature to Stephen Douglas on November 2, 1858.
  • Abraham Lincoln received the Republican nomination for President of the United States on May 18, 1860 in Chicago.
  • Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States on November 6, 1860.
  • In reaction to Abraham Lincoln’s election as President of the United States, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union on December 20, 1860.
  • Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States on March 4, 1861.
  • Abraham Lincoln ordered reinforcements for Fort Sumter on March 29, 1861.
  • Abraham Lincoln called for the formation of a temporary militia of 75,000 soldiers on April 15, 1861.
  • Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a blockade against Southern ports on April 19, 1861.
  • Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus on April 27, 1861.
  • The U.S. Congress granted Abraham Lincoln considerable war powers on July 22, 1861.
  • Abraham Lincoln named George McClellan as general-in-chief of Union forces on November 1, 1861.
  • Abraham Lincoln signed an act abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia on April 16, 1862.
  • Abraham Lincoln appointed Henry Halleck as general-in-chief of Union forces on July 11, 1862.
  • Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862.
  • Abraham Lincoln named Ambrose Burnside to command the Army of the Potomac on November 5, 1862.
  • Abraham Lincoln named Joseph Hooker to command the Army of the Potomac on January 25, 1862.
  • Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
  • Abraham Lincoln named Ulysses S. Grant to command Union forces in the West on January 29, 1863.
  • Abraham Lincoln signed the Conscription Act into law on March 3, 1863.
  • Abraham Lincoln named George Meade to command Union forces in the East on June 28, 1863.
  • Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863.
  • Abraham Lincoln issued his initial plans for reconstruction on December 8, 1863.
  • Abraham Lincoln named Ulysses S. Grant to command all Union forces on March 9, 1864.
  • Abraham Lincoln pocket vetoed the Wade-Davis Bill, which established a strict reconstruction policy, in July 1864.
  • Abraham Lincoln was elected to his second term as President of the United States on November 8, 1864.
  • Abraham Lincoln attended an unsuccessful peace conference with CSA delegates at Hampton Roads, Virginia on February 3, 1865.
  • Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865.
  • Abraham Lincoln made his last public speech on April 11, 1865,
  • Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington on April 14, 1865.
  • Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865, from a gunshot wound to the head inflicted by assassin John Wilkes Booth the night before.
  • Abraham Lincoln was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery, near Springfield, Illinois, on May 4, 1865.

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Article Title Abraham Lincoln - Facts
  • Date February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865
  • Author
  • Website Name American History Central
  • Access Date October 1, 2023
  • Publisher R.Squared Communications, LLC
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update August 11, 2023

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