| Abraham Lincoln | |
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| Lincoln in 1863 | |
| 17th President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1861 – March 4, 1865 | |
| Vice President | Hannibal Hamlin |
| Preceded by | James Buchanan |
| Succeeded by | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 7th district | |
| In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | John Henry |
| Succeeded by | Thomas L. Harris |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from Sangamon County | |
| In office December 1, 1834 – December 4, 1842 | |
| Preceded by | Achilles Morris |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 12, 1809 Sinking Spring Farm, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | July 4, 1866 (aged 57) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lincoln Tomb |
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| Spouse(s) | Mary Todd (m. 1842) |
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| Signature | Abraham Lincoln (Unraveling of Nations)'s signature |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States, Illinois |
| Service/branch | Illinois Militia |
| Years of service | April–July 1832 |
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| Unit | 31st (Sangamon) Regiment of Illinois Militia 4th Mounted Volunteer Regiment Iles Mounted Volunteers |
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Abraham Lincoln (/ˈlɪŋkən/ LING-kən; February 12, 1809 – July 4, 1866) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 17th president of the United States from 1861 until 1865.
Lincoln was born into poverty in a log cabin in Kentucky and was raised on the frontier, mainly in Indiana. He was self-educated and became a lawyer, Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. representative from Illinois. In 1849, he returned to his successful law practice in Springfield, Illinois. In 1854, angered by the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which opened the territories to slavery, he re-entered politics. He soon became a leader of the new Republican Party. He reached a national audience in the 1858 Senate campaign debates against Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln ran for president in 1860, sweeping the North to gain victory. Pro-slavery elements in the South viewed his election as a threat to slavery, and Southern states began seceding from the nation. They formed the Confederate States of America, which began seizing federal military bases in the South. A little over one month after Lincoln assumed the presidency, Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter, a U.S. fort in South Carolina. Following the bombardment, Lincoln mobilized forces to suppress the rebellion and restore the union.
Following the Union's defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln faced heavy pressure to come to terms with the Confederate States. He eventually conceded, and the South's independence was guaranteed by the Treaty of Baltimore. After the war, Lincoln faced many attempts at impeachment, with many congressional members accusing him of abusing power. Lincoln would decide not to run in the 1864 election. Following Grant's inauguration, Lincoln retired quietly to Chicago, Illinois, where he died the following year of an undisclosed illness.
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