Abraham Lincoln
President of the United States
"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."
Biography
The 16th President guided the Union through its darkest hours. A self-taught lawyer from Illinois, Lincoln possessed rare political genius — building a cabinet of rivals, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, and sustaining public support for a brutal war. His assassination at Ford's Theatre five days after Lee's surrender denied the nation his healing hand during Reconstruction.
Did you know?
Only U.S. president to hold a patent — a device for lifting riverboats over shallow waters (1849, Patent No. 6,469)
Life Journey
Timeline
February 12, 1809
🌅 Birth
Born in a log cabin, Hodgenville, Kentucky
1816
📍 Posting
Family moves to Indiana — frontier life shapes his character
1831
📍 Posting
Moves to New Salem, Illinois; works as store clerk, postmaster, surveyor
1837
📚 Education
Moves to Springfield, Illinois; begins law practice
1847
📍 Posting
Serves one term in U.S. Congress, Washington D.C.
1849–1860
📍 Posting
Returns to Springfield law practice; builds Republican political career
March 4, 1861
📍 Posting
Inaugurated as 16th President, Washington D.C.
April 14, 1865
✝️ Death
Shot at Ford's Theatre, Washington D.C.