Abraham Lincoln

Born: 12 February 1809 Birthplace: Near Hodgenville, Kentucky Death: 15 April 1865 (assassination by gunshot) Best Known As: The Civil War president who wrote the Gettysburg Address The stories really are true: Abe Lincoln grew up on the American frontier, educated himself by reading borrowed books, and worked as a general store clerk long before he became the 16th president of the United States. His claims to fame are too numerous to list here; he is most often remembered for leading the Union through the Civil War and freeing Confederate slaves with the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation; for delivering the Gettysburg Address, the most famous oration in American history; and for his tragic assassination by John Wilkes Booth. Upon Lincoln's death, Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency. Yes, that's Lincoln on the U.S. penny and the five dollar bill. In 1864 Lincoln named Salmon P. Chase to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court -- Chase is on the ten thousand dollar bill... Lincoln was preceded by James Buchanan, the only president to remain a bachelor for life... Lincoln was the first president to be born outside the original thirteen states... He was the first president to wear a beard while in office... Lincoln's oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was present at three assassinations: his father's, President Garfield's in 1881 and President McKinley's in 1901... A famous (and enormous) biography of Lincoln was written by 20th-century author Carl Sandburg... Lincoln was the 16th president.