Biography of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Abraham Lincoln is famous for the Gettysburg Address, abolishing slavery and being one of the four presidents who have been assassinated.

 Lincoln was studying law, taking and passing the bar in 1836. He became engaged to Mary Owens from Kentucky after meeting in the early 1830s but on 16 August 1837, he wrote her a letter suggesting he would not blame her for ending the relationship as they had both had second thoughts. She never replied.

In 1842, Lincoln married Mary Todd, and their relationship, as well as the part she played in his subsequent career, remains a matter of some debate. The pair met in 1839 and was engaged in December 1840 but they called off a wedding scheduled for 1 January 1841 at Lincoln's initiative. However, after meeting again they finally married on 8 November 1842.

In 1844, they bought a house in Springfield near Lincoln's law firm and she took care of the house diligently on a limited budget. They had four sons including Robert Todd Lincoln, who was born in 1843 and was their only child to reach adulthood.

Edward, who was born in 1846 died of tuberculosis in 1850, 'Willie' was born in 1850 and died in 1862, while son Tad was born in 1853 and died of heart failure at the age of 18 in 1871.

In 1846, Lincoln was elected to the U.S. Congress. His career got off to a stormy start, as he was not a staunch supporter of the war with Mexico, and he believed that slavery should be abolished. Both of these beliefs were not popular in his district of Illinois, and he was not re-elected.

Over the next 12 years, Lincoln practiced law and built up his firm. In 1854, the contentious issue of slavery erupted, with a bill brought by Stephen Douglas to organize the Kansas-Nebraska Territory.

This bill so incensed Lincoln that he re-entered the political fray. However, Lincoln failed to receive the nomination for senator in 1855 and, convinced his former party, the Whigs, was essentially dead; he joined the new Republicans, becoming a prominent figure in the party.

When Douglas returned to Illinois to fight for re-election to the Senate, Lincoln pressed Douglas for a discussion on the issue of slavery. These discussions became the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates and, although Douglas was re-elected, Lincoln had gained national recognition.