Abraham Lincoln
On this day (November 6th 1860), Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States over a deeply divided Democratic Party, to become the first Republican to win the presidency. Here are five things you didn't know about "Honest Abe".
Lincoln Actually Did Not Get a Majority of Votes
Lincoln got the greatest proportion of votes divided among four candidates, but overall, he got only 40 percent of the total tally, meaning 60 percent of voters voted for someone else. Their votes were split between three people (two Democrats and a Constitutional Union candidate; Lincoln was a Republican).
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Was Not the Main Event on the Day He Gave It
As noted, the address was merely part of a ceremony opening a cemetery, and it wasn't even the main attraction. That was a two-hour speech by Edward Everett, which occurred right before Lincoln's speech. But even Everett was stunned by Lincoln's words and wrote to tell him that he (Everett) "... Should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes." Lincoln's response was typically humble, thanking Everett and complimenting him on his speech.
He Got the Name "Honest Abe" as a Retail Clerk
Long before Lincoln got to the White House, he was a store clerk in the town of New Salem. He had a reputation for being so honest and so meticulous that if he made a mistake in giving you change, he'd chase after you to correct the error (given that this was often in the form of him handing over more money, that was likely well-received by townsfolk). The nickname stuck with him throughout his life.
Lincoln Was Supposed to Have a Police Guard on the Night He Was Killed
Look up Lincoln's death, and you'll find information about how he signed the bill to create the Secret Service hours before he was shot, yet the Secret Service at that point was meant to combat counterfeiting. It's true that there was no overall dedicated presidential security detail at the time, though in Lincoln's case, he was given a police detail in 1864 due to frequent threats. Lincoln also had a police guard while he was at the play at Ford's Theatre - or at least, he was supposed to. A police officer was assigned to him but left his post because he wanted a better view of the play. As you can guess, the officer had a reputation that wasn't very good.