Abe Lincoln Biography

Any Abe Lincoln biography is filled with his accomplishments in and out of his political career. Abe Lincoln, better known as Abraham Lincoln, was the nation's sixteenth President of the United States. Here is a brief biography on Abe Lincoln, including his personal life and career.

Early Life. Abe Lincoln was born in February 1809 in a log cabin at Hardin County, Kentucky. Lincoln's mother died of milk sickness and he became distant with his father because of his lack of education and association with hard labor in the life they lived.  His family settled in 1830 in Macon County, Illinois, where Lincoln self-educated and became an avid reader; this caused him to be known as lazy by some in the area.

Personal Life. Abe Lincoln was married to Mary Todd, though it was a difficult marriage. Only one of their four sons live past the age of eighteen and their deaths had an impact on the two; both suffered mental problems, including Mary being committed to an asylum temporarily and Abe suffering from "melancholy." 

Career and Presidency. Abe Lincoln began as a prarie lawyer and soon went into Republican politics, notably opposing slavery. This formed a major part of his platform for presidency, which would earn him a Republican nomination. He was elected president in 1860. Lincoln would be known for his followthrough in regards to slavery, in which he delivered the Emancipation Proclomation (Lincoln also helped in regards to the Thirteenth Amendment, ending slavery). Of course, Lincoln was also a major figure in the American Civil War, which he supervised closely, as well as playing an important role in the rebuilding effort after he was re-elected in 1864.

Assassination.  Looking to undermine Lincoln's plans to follow through on voting rights for blacks, John Wilkes Booth formulated a plan to assisinat the president. At Ford's Theater, Booth shot the unguarded (his bodyguard left during intermission) president in the back of the head during "Our American Cousin" on April 14, 1965.  The wound was mortal and Lincoln was pronounced dead; Booth was tracked down ten days later and was killed.