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Lincoln in 1860 Library of Congress Pre-Presidential Political Timeline At age 23, with no real qualifications and a very limited formal education, Abraham Lincoln ran for his first Illinois political office. He failed in that campaign for the state legislature, but two years later gained a seat as a member of the Whig Party. The following timeline provides a brief glimpse of his political career before the presidency. It consisted mainly of service in the Illinois General Assembly and one term in Congress. In 1856 he joined the newly formed Republican Party; two years later he ran for the U.S. Senate, making a name for himself in those famous debates. By 1860 he became the first Republican to win a presidential election. The highly ambitious Lincoln also was a self-taught lawyer who built up a successful practice in Springfield, Illinois. His work included traveling the old Eighth Judicial Circuit, which enhanced his political opportunities, sharpened his public speaking abilities, and gave him time for serious study and reflection. This slow-but-sure effort reflects the real Lincoln, who reminds us of a story -- the fable of the tortoise and the hare. Timeline MARCH 9, 1832 Makes first-known published political announcement AUGUST 6, 1832 Loses first race for Illinois House of Representatives AUGUST 4, 1834 Wins election to first term in Illinois House of Representatives AUGUST 1, 1836 Wins election to second term in Illinois House of Representatives JANUARY 11, 1837 Gives first published speech in Illinois legislature MARCH 3, 1837 Makes first public declaration against slavery JANUARY 27, 1838 Delivers speech on "Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions" AUGUST 6, 1838 Wins election to third term in the Illinois House of Representatives DECEMBER 3, 1838 Loses bid for Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives JUNE 24, 1839 Wins election to Springfield town board OCTOBER 7, 1839 Attends first Whig Party state convention AUGUST 3, 1840 Wins election to fourth term in the Illinois House of Representatives MAY 1, 1843 Attends Whig Party district convention in Pekin, Illinois OCTOBER 25 - NOVEMBER 6, 1844 Speaks in Illinois and Indiana on behalf of Henry Clay MAY 1, 1846 Wins Whig Party nomination for Seventh Congressional District AUGUST 3, 1846 Wins election to Congress as Whig Party representative DECEMBER 6, 1847 Takes seat in U.S. House of Representatives DECEMBER 22, 1847 Presents "Spot Resolutions" in U.S. House of Representatives JUNE 7-9, 1848 Attends national Whig Party convention in Philadelphia JULY 4, 1848 Probably attends Washington Monument cornerstone ceremony SEPTEMBER 12-22, 1848 Speaks on behalf of Zachary Taylor in Massachusetts JANUARY 10, 1849 Proposes amendment to abolish slavery in District of Columbia MARCH 4, 1849 Ends first and only term in U.S. House of Representatives SEPTEMBER 27, 1849 Declines appointment as governor of Oregon Territory JULY 6, 1852 Delivers a eulogy on Henry Clay in Springfield OCTOBER 16, 1854 Gives famous anti-Nebraska Act speech in Peoria, Illinois NOVEMBER 7, 1854 Wins election to Illinois House of Representatives NOVEMBER 10, 1854 Decides to run for U.S. Senate instead DECEMBER 23, 1854 Special election held to choose his successor to Illinois legislature FEBRUARY 8, 1855 Loses bid for Senate when Illinois legislature elects Lyman Trumbull MAY 29, 1856 Delivers stirring "lost speech" as a Republican in Bloomington, Illinois JUNE 19, 1856 Considered for vice president at first Republican National Convention AUGUST 27, 1856 Makes political speech at a Republican rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan JUNE 26, 1857 Speaks against Dred Scott court decision in Springfield, Illinois JUNE 16, 1858 Chosen as U.S. Senate candidate by Illinois Republican Convention; gives "House Divided" speech AUGUST 21, 1858 Begins first of seven formal debates with Democrat Stephen A. Douglas NOVEMBER 2, 1858 Wins Senate popular vote but loses election to Douglas SEPTEMBER 16 - OCTOBER 5, 1859 Makes speaking tour of Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 6, 1859 Makes speaking tour of northeastern Kansas FEBRUARY 27, 1860 Gives famous Cooper Union speech in New York City FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 10, 1860 Makes speaking tour of New England states MAY 9 - 10, 1860 Receives support of Illinois Republican Convention for president MAY 18, 1860 Receives Republican nomination for president with running mate Hannibal Hamlin NOVEMBER 6, 1860 Wins election as first Republican president in a four-way race MARCH 4, 1861 Takes oath of office as sixteenth president of the U.S. Timeline Sources: The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler and others; Lincoln Day by Day edited by Earl Miers

Documents and Resources Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (ALA) Lincoln Collection (LOC) Lincoln Historical Digitization Project (NIU) Commentary/Context Abraham Lincoln and the Triumph of an Antislavery Nationalism (JALA) Abraham Lincoln on Popular Sovereignty (JALA) Abraham Lincoln's Partisan Realignment in the 1850s (JALA) A House Divided: America in the Age of Lincoln (CHM/GLI) Before Cooper Union: Abraham Lincoln's 1859 Cincinnati Speech (JALA) Dred Scott Case (Washington U) In the Shadow of the Little Giant: Lincoln Before the Great Debates (JALA) Justin Butterfield, Lincoln, and Illinois Whiggery (JALA) Lincoln and Abolitionism (History Now) Lincoln and Daniel Webster (JISHS) Lincoln and the Cooper Union Address (ALI) Lincoln and the Mexican-American War Revisited (ALI) Lincoln at the Turning Point: Peoria to the Presidency (ALI) Lincoln: Campaign Manager and Orator in 1840 (ALA) Lincoln, Form Letters, and Fillmore Men (IHJ) Lincoln on the Perpetuation of Republican Institutions (JALA) Lincoln's Fence Rails (JISHS) Lincoln's Opposition to the Mexican War (JISHS) Lincoln's View of Political Persuasion (JALA) Lincoln's Visit to Kansas (KSHS) Lincoln: Voter and Candidate 1831-1849; Part I (ALA) Lincoln: Voter and Candidate; Part II (ALA) Lincoln/Net (NIU) Mr. Lincoln and the Founders (TLI) Mr. Lincoln and Freedom (TLI) Mr. Lincoln and Friends (TLI) New Records of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate at the 1854 Illinois State Fair (JALA) Richard J. Oglesby, Lincoln's Rail-Splitter (JISJS) Senator Abraham Lincoln (JALA) The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln (JALA) The Springfield Lyceums and Lincoln's 1838 Speech (IHJ) Understanding Lincoln: The Lyceum Address of 1838 (GLI) When Lincoln Borrowed a Book He Didn't Like (JALA) Why Abraham Lincoln was a Whig (JALA) Debates/Campaign of 1858 Debate Scrapbook (LOC) Debating Douglas on the National Stage (Lincoln/Net) Lincoln, Douglas and Their Historic Debates (Gilder Lehrman) Lincoln and Douglas at Bryant Cottage (IDNR) Lincoln and Douglas in Debate* Lincoln-Douglas Debate Podcasts (Knox College) Lincoln-Douglas Debates (Lincoln/Net) Lincoln-Douglas Debates (Lincoln-Douglas Society) Lincoln-Douglas Debate Sites (Illinois in the Civil War) Lincoln-Douglas Debates Remembered (Smithsonian) Lyman Trumbull and the Real Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates (JISHS) Out-of-State Influences and the Lincoln-Douglas Campaign of 1858 (JISHS) Owen Lovejoy's Role in the Campaign of 1858 (JISHS) The Constitution and Declaration of Independence as Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates (JISHS) "The Moral Lights Around Us" (JISHS) The Unfinished Text of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates (JALA) Union County in 1858 and the Lincoln-Douglas Debates (JISHS) 1860 Election 1860 Nomination for President (GAH) Abraham Lincoln and the Election of 1860 (ALC) Campaigns and Elections/1860 (UVA) Jesse W. Fell and the Lincoln Autobiography (JALA) Lincoln and Hamlin Banners (LOC) Lincoln-Hamlin Campaign Banner* Lincoln Campaign Banner (KSHS) Lincolniana -- Lincoln is Notified of His Nomination (JISHS) Map of the 1860 Presidential Election (APP) Oglesby's Fence Rail Dealings and the 1860 Decatur Convention (JISHS) Presidential Election of 1860: A Resource Guide (LOC) The British Press Reacts to Lincoln's Election (JISHS) The Campaign of the Century (NIU) The Presidential Election of 1860 (NIU) The Wide Awakes and Lincoln's 1860 Presidential Campaign (JAH) Views of the Wigwam Convention (JALA) Places Lincoln at Cooper Union (History Now) Lincoln in Decatur, Illinois (DACBV) Lincoln in Decatur and Macon County (MCHM) Lincoln in Galena, Illinois* Long Nine Museum* Mr. Lincoln and New York (TLI) Old State Capitol Building, Illinois* Old State Capitol Photo Tour* U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.* U.S. Capitol Photo Tour* Vandalia Statehouse (IDNR) Books Books about Lincoln's Pre-Presidential Political Career* Nineteenth Century Lincoln-Related Publications (MOA) Kenneth Winkle on Lincoln's Early Career* Selected Speeches and Writings 1860 Nomination Acceptance Letter (LOC) Autobiographies of 1858-60* Cooper Union Address, 1860* Eulogy on Henry Clay, 1852* House Divided Speech, June 16, 1858* Letter to Allen N. Ford, 1846* Letter to Henry Pierce, 1859* Letter to George Robertson, 1855* Letter to Joshua Speed, 1855* Letter to Lyman Trumbull, 1860* Letter to Grace Bedell, 1860* Lincoln-Douglas Debates (NIU) Lincoln-Douglas Debates (UM) Lyceum Address, 1838* Other Timelines Lincoln and Gettysburg Timeline* Lincoln Early Life Timeline* Lincoln Family Timeline* Lincoln Legal Career Timeline* Lincoln Presidential Timeline* Lincoln Tomb Timeline* Mary Todd Lincoln Timeline* Robert Todd Lincoln Timeline* *Indicates pages created by Abraham Lincoln Online

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