William Pitt Fessenden For the sake of party unity, the Vice Presidential nomination was offered to the Seward camp. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In 1848, Hamlin was elected to the United States Senate. His father was a doctor and a farmer but Hannibal's education was limited because of financial restraints. Hamlins marriage to Ellen was a great success, and they remained closest of companions for the rest of their lives. It was a militia type army unit whose job it was to guard the coastline. Dom Pedro may have acquired the album during a trip to the United States in 1876 when he, along with President Ulysses S. Grant, opened the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. [Winfield Scott] was usually in the dark in respect to them.5 Unfortunately for the President, Hamlin had gotten frustrated waiting in New York for presidential instructions and had departed before the letter arrived. He gained a reputation for being able to maintain good relations with all members and get things done. HAMLIN, Hannibal, a Representative and a Senator from Maine and a Vice President of the United States; born at Paris Hill, Oxford County, Maine, August 27, 1809; attended the district schools and Hebron Academy; took charge of the family farm and worked as a surveyor, compositor in a printing office, and school teacher; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1833 and practiced in Hampden . Republicans swept the Maine elections in September. Less than five months later, on his favorite day of the year - the Fourth of July -- Hannibal Hamlin walked to the Tarratine Club, which he created, in Bangor for his favorite pastime of playing cards with friends. In Twelve Americans: Their Lives and Times, pp. Hamlin also served as Congressman (Democrat, 1853-47) Senator from Maine (Democrat, Republican, 1848-57, 57-61, 1869-81) and Governor (Republican, 1857). Attic, Thomas Jefferson BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 226-1300. Over the course of the next several decades, Brady produced portraits of leading American public figures, many of which were published as engravings in magazines and newspapers. Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 - July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. In 1868, Hamlins name was placed in contention for the Republican Vice Presidential nomination. Eventually, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He felt certain that the new President would have secured his election on terms that would make it impossible to continue the war after the inauguration. - ", "Abraham Lincoln: Campaigns and Elections (Winning Republican Support)", "Abraham Lincoln's White House Hannibal Hamlin (18091891)", "Fort McClary Garrisoned; Vice-President Hamlin Among the Privates", "Civil War Index 1st Maine State Guards", "The Hannibal Hamlin House posted to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979", "Speakers of the Maine House of Representatives 1820", "Russo-Japanese War The Dogger Bank Incident Goes Wrong", "Hannibal Hamlin, 15th Vice President (18611865)", Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hannibal_Hamlin&oldid=1169424385, This page was last edited on 9 August 2023, at 00:57. Hamlin despised his new position as vice president. You just have to register, be stupid-rich, and be prepared to do and say absolutely anything to be elected. Finally, he began to study law with a firm in Portland, Maine, and was mentored by Samuel Fessenden, an outspoken antislavery activist. . His older brother, who helped their father run the farm, became ill. Hannibal had to leave school to take his older brothers place on the farm. He worked in the kitchen preparing meals for his unit, and served guard duty. The image is from an album of mostly Civil War-era portraits by the famous American photographer Matthew Brady (circa 1823-96) that belonged to Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (1825-91), a collector of photography as well as a photographer himself. On June 12, 1856, Hamlin left the Democratic Party with a sharply worded resignation denouncing slavery. Although it was in no way revenge or intentional sabotage on Hamlins part, he did provide Johnson with the whiskey. When the Seward camp offered no choice for the nomination, other leading Republicans were considered. The Republican National Convention of 1860 nominated Hamlin for vice presidenta post he said he would have declined had he attended the convention in Chicagoin the belief that as an Easterner and former Democrat he would provide both regional and partisan balance to Lincoln. Hamlin also pushed for the appointment of Gideon Welles to be Secretary of the Navy. This party was a temporary coalition between the Republicans and the pro-war Democrats. That includes a Maine-native and Bangor resident who would become the 15th Vice-President of the United States. However, the bill died in the Senate. As a result Hamlin was dismayed and Mr. Lincoln irritated, as the following presidential notation indicated: The Vice-President says I promised to make this appointment, & I suppose I must make it.6 There was one place, however where Hamlin was even more unpopular than President Lincoln. Wait a moment and try again. Finding aid. Always active physically, he was athletic as well as being an avid reader. We are looking back at our history and the people who were part of it. In September 1856, he married his former wifes half-sister Ellen, who supported him in his successful race for governor. Hamlin was born on August 27, 1809, in the village of Paris Hill, now . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. I think he would be more deliberate about eradicating slavery immediately, in a post-Lincoln presidency. Original resource at: National Library of Brazil. His treatment of me was on his part that of kindness and consideration, and my counsels had all the more weight with him, that he thus practically knew them to be disinterested and free from any taint of intrigue or factional purpose.3 In the summer of 1862, Hamlin complained: The slow and unsatisfactory movement of the Government do not meet with my approbation, and that is known, and of course I am not consulted at all, nor do I think there is much disposition in any quarter to regard any counsel I may give much if at all.4. Portraits, - New York : Edward Anthony, [1860 to 1876], - Hannibal Hamlin was born in Paris Hill, Maine, on August 27, 1809. On that day, he gave up the Senate seat he had held for 12 years to become vice president of the United States. Samuel Fessenden was the father of Hamlins future political rival, William Pitt Fessenden. Anthony, Edward, Contributor, and Mathew B Brady. Hamlin continued to oppose the Democratic Partys stand in support of slavery, but he refrained from breaking with the party, mainly because there was no other party to join in Maine. Lincolns advisors decided that Hamlin was not in sympathy with Lincolns views or policies. In spite of his efforts and influence, the death penalty in Maine was not eliminated until the 1880s. Still, President Lincoln did not seem to hold that against Hamlin. Hamlin became a highly respected and influential member of the Senate. In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough re-election campaign. Hamlin had long pressed Lincoln to issue an emancipation proclamation. In one piece of very good luck, Hamlin missed sailing on the frigate U.S.S. The album was a gift to the emperor from Edward Anthony (1818-88), another early American photographer who, in partnership with his brother, owned a company that in the 1850s became the leading seller of photographic supplies in the United States. In October, Hamlin went to Boston to march in a torchlight parade with Maine lumberjacks, Penobscot Indians, and Republican leaders. Hamlin, for all his complaints about the powerlessness of the Vice Presidency, intended to stand for re-election. "Lincoln Herald 88 (Winter 1986): 137-44. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, . Vice President Hannibal Hamlin. Henry Wilson (1812--75) was a U.S. senator from 1855 to 1873 and the 18th vice president of the United States. 1 letter (December 14, 1854) from George Mifflin Dallas concerning a mission to search for Elisha Kent Lane; correspondence in Elizabeth Goodwin collection, 1758-1891; and 2 letters (1864) in Susan Lord Hayes correspondence concerning release of her son, Brig. 14 letters by and 3 to Hamlin (1852-1862) in various collections. His standing was even higher with the other Senators because they respected his decision to risk his political career by leaving the well-established and powerful Democratic Party to honor his stand against slavery. Gideon Welles Concerns a revival in Topsham, Maine. Republican. You must log in or register to reply here. JavaScript is disabled. Lincoln saw those same qualities in Hamlin and selected him to be his vice-presidential nominee. During the summer of 1864, the vice president briefly served in the Union Army when his Maine Coast Guard unit was called to active duty. He was born in Maytown, Pennsylvania and Thomas Corwin (1794--1865) was a politician who was famous for his opposition to the Mexican War (1846--48). Founded by The Lehrman Institute. He was the first Republican vice president. Hannibal Hamlin. The front-runner for the nomination had been Senator Seward, but he lost the nomination to Lincoln on the third ballot. As a senator, Hamlin had rarely missed a day when the Senate was in session. The National Highways Association (NHA) was established in 1911 to promote the development of an improved national road network in the United States. As a Jacksonian Democrat who strongly opposed slavery, he served in state government until he was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1843. Hamlin was removed from the Union ticket in June 1864 because Republicans wanted a "War Democrat" for political balancealthough President himself told one delegate "I see no reason for a change." 9 A conflict with Fessenden, who became Lincoln's secretary of the Treasury in July 1864 only to resign in early 1865, placed Hamlin in a . Hannibal Hamlin was born in Paris Hill, Maine on August 27,1809. Correspondence in Aurestus S. Perham papers, 1865-1928; and miscellaneous political and personal papers. Kazarian, Richard, Jr. "Working Radicals: The Early Political Careers of William Seward, Thaddeus Stevens, Henry Wilson, Charles Sumner, Salmon P. Chase and Hannibal Hamlin." Hamlin would have almost certainly voted with the Radicals and against Johnson. Remember Hamlin began his career as a Democrat but joined the Republican Party as someone who was decidedly anti-slavery. After Lincoln took office and even with the outbreak of the Civil War, however, Hamlin had almost no role in the administration, as was common for this period in history. Andrew Johnson was sworn in after Lincoln was confirmed to have died. His influence over the next decade was forged through support of President Ulysses Grant and an alliance with House Speaker James G. Blaine, also of Maine. At high noon, Hamlin called the Senate to order and swore in newly elected senators. After local public schools, he attended Hebron Academy. Memory of the World, - Elected to the Senate again (186981), he supported radical Reconstruction and served as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. 1 letter (October 6, 1882) in Bookfellow Foundation autograph collection. Overland Monthly, 2d ser. Hannibal Hamlin was born in the Paris Hill Province of Maine on Aug. 27, 1809. Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, a former senator from Maine, was dropped from the Republican ticket in favor of Democrat Andrew Johnsonbut still supported the Lincoln administration. Minister to Russia Cassius Marcellus Clay. But in a letter, Hamlin explained to Lincoln, While I have been silent, I have never been so busy thro the Press and by personal effort endeavoring to strengthen weak points all along the line. At that point in our history, Maine held its election in September due to the severe winter weather which usually set in by November. 2002-2023 The Lehrman Institute. The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. [New York: Edward Anthony, to 1876] Photograph. Vice President Hannibal Hamlin. In 1860, there had been a spirited fight for the Presidential nomination, and Abraham Lincoln had defeated a number of other candidates, including Senators Seward, Chase, Cameron and Wade. Senator Benjamin Wade (who would later become the Acting Vice President) warned Hamlin that if he declined the nomination, it would give political ammunition to the Democrats who would say Hamlin was afraid to run on a loosing ticket. After the election, Lincoln and Hamlin met for the first time. Hamlin was defeated in his bid for the Senate, however, by his rival in the Maine Republican Party, William Pitt Fessenden. Between the fever and the oppressive heat in the Capitol room where they waited, along with Johnsons low tolerance to alcohol, Johnson did indeed get very drunk. Brady, Mathew B., 1823?-1896 Photographer. 1 letter in the Israel Washburn papers, 1841-1883. Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, Lincoln's First Vice-President. Hamlin realized Wade was right, and that he would have to accept the nomination. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Still he was disappointed when the Republican Party dropped him from the ticket in 1864. Johnson was suffering from typhoid fever and from a toothache. Biography He was hailed as The Surviving Standard-Bearer of 1860. On July 4, 1891, Hamlin, just short of his 82nd birthday, walked to the Tarratine Club of Bangor. He was one of only four Democrats to vote against the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and his debates with Senator Jefferson Davis became so heated that for the only time in his life, Hamlin carried a pistol for self-protection. The campaign was not all parades and parties. 10 items. Abraham Lincoln and Chicago. Hamlin played little role in President Lincolns first term, but did help win Mr. Lincolns agreement for the use of black soldiers. what if Hannibal Hamlin became president in 1865? Finding aid. While Lincoln would be nominated by his part to run again, Hamlin was replaced by Andrew Johnson. United States politician and military officer. - The festivities of the night of Independence Day had just set in here when the intelligence of the death of ex-Vice President Hannibal Hamlin became known throughout the city. President Garfield then appointed him minister of Spain, and he served in Europe until he retired in 1882. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln said to Hamlin of hearing him in 1848: Your subject was not new, but the ideas were sound. Although Lincoln rarely consulted him in office, Hamlin was an early supporter of emancipation and the arming of freedmen, steps that Lincoln later adopted. Andrew Johnson Hamlin was eventually admitted to the bar in 1833 and opened his own law practice in Hampden, Maine, where he also served as the town attorney. Original resource extent: 1 photographic print : carte-de-visite, albumen paper ; 8.4 x 5.3 centimeters. He returned home to manage the farm and to support his family. But few know that Johnson was Vice President for only five weeks. In his first term as a senator, he took an antislavery position on sectional issues and left the Democratic Party in 1856 because of its endorsement of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which proponents of abolitionism had attacked as a capitulation to the interests of the slave states. FACTS SCIENCE People You Never Knew Were Almost President By Jake Vigliotti / Updated: Dec. 23, 2020 12:54 am EST Becoming president of the United States is a pretty simple process. Hannibal Hamlin, a Republican senator from Maine was Abraham Lincoln's vice president. Though stricken with grief, he rushed back to Washington to attend the funeral. "Our theme is 1860, right around when Hannibal Hamlin was . Hamlin was acutely aware that the Republican victory would lead to war. He was greeted by the various foreign ministers as a man of great importance because of his tenure as Vice President. Hamlin had sought unsuccessfully to lobby President Lincoln to appoint Fessenden as Chief Justice in late 1864 in order to remove him as a rival. February 9, 2023 at 1:21 pm Arlene Cole Hannibal Hamlin (Courtesy photo) Hannibal Hamlin is best remembered today as serving as vice president under President Abraham Lincoln. In forming the new Republican Party, its leaders invited Hamlin to join and run for governor of Maine. December 20, 1883. It may not display this or other websites correctly. He had to cut school short in order to help on the family farm when his older brother was ill and then when his father died. How different history would have been had Lincoln been succeeded by Hamlin who favored the Radical Reconstruction instead of the conservative Johnson who opposed it. Hannibal Hamlin was Lincoln's Vice President during his first term. Later, Hamlin wrote to his wife, I neither expected or desired it. Hamlin could have avoided duty, but chose to serve as an example to other citizens. That year, Republican James Garfield was elected President, and he in turn appointed Maines James G. Blaine as Secretary of State. Mr. Lincoln questioned if the Richmond people would like to have Hannibal Hamlin here any better than myself? He banned liquor from the Senate, and it became a much more sober place. In Congress, Hamlin quickly joined the Jacksonian forces, and denounced Henry Clays economic program. Hamlin was the son of Cyrus Hamlin, a physician, sheriff, and farmer, and Anna Livermore. You were talking about slavery, and I now take occasion to thank you for so well expressing what were my own sentiments at that time. Hamlin recalled being told that Lincoln was the best story teller in the House.12. Hamlin was born on August 27, 1809, in the village of Paris Hill, now part of Paris, the shiretown of Oxford County. It documents the achievements of Brazil and Brazilians in the 19th century and also includes many photographs of Europe, Africa, and North America. Hamlin quickly became a popular and respected member of the legislature. As presiding officer of the Senate, Hamlin did accomplish one of his long-time goals. What would have been different if Abraham Lincoln had stuck with Hannibal Hamlin as VP, and he had become President upon Lincoln's assassination? What is even more ironic is that it was Hamlin who had banned liquor from the Senate, and he had to send someone out to find the whiskey. The story goes that Hamlin was playing cards in his hotel room in Washington when the door burst open and the room suddenly filled with excited people. The position carried few duties, and Hamlin spent most of his time touring Spain at the taxpayers expense. BANGOR, Me., July 5, - The festivities of the night of Independence Day had just set in here when the intelligence of the death of . It also marks the 200th birthday of the Mainer that President Lincoln chose to serve as his first Vice President during America's greatest time of trial, Hannibal Hamlin. He served in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat from 1848 to 1857, but broke with his party over the issue of slavery. Hamlin had not sought the nomination, and was thoroughly surprised when he got the news that he was the new Vice Presidential nominee. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1993. Hannibal Hamlin (New York Times) "Hannibal Hamlin Dead," New York Times, July 5, 1891, p. 1. - The depth of his affection for Abraham Lincoln was revealed at his last public speech, delivered in February of 1891 in New York City. But the chance timing of just a few weeks left him in the shadows of popular history. Under the slogan "Good roads for everyone!" They got together on November 22 in Chicago. One of the first members of the Republican Party, Hamlin was dropped from the ticket in 1864 in favor of Johnson who would bring more votes to the difficult re-election campaign. Worldhistory.us - For those who want to understand the History, not just to read it. He immediately returned to Washington to attend the Presidents funeral. He renounced his affiliation with the Democratic Party in 1856 and served in the Senate until 1857 when he resigned to run for governor. But it has been made and as a faithful man to the cause, it leaves me no alternative but to accept it. He told her that at least the duties of the office would not be hard or unpleasant., As was customary in those times, neither Lincoln nor Hamlin campaigned actively. John Hay Hamlin later served for one year as minister to Spain (188182). The nomination finally went to Schulyer Colfax (who had greeted Hamlin as Mr. He has black blood in him. Hamlin did have a dark complexion, but no one outside of the South took the charge seriously. Quick Facts Died At Age: 81 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Ellen Hamlin, Sarah Jane Emery children: Charles Hamlin Political Leaders American Men political ideology: Political party - Democratic (until 1856)Republican Died on: July 4, 1891 place of death: Bangor U.S. State: Maine Ideology: Democrats, Republicans More Facts Recommended Lists: American People He pushed for an immediate Proclamation of Emancipation in 1862. President Johnson made the appointment. After Abraham Lincoln won the Republican Party nomination for President in 1860, the party turned to Hamlin as the vice presidential candidate because he had strong antislavery, pro-Union credentials and he was from the Northeast, which helped geographically balance the ticket. With little to do as vice president, he enlisted as a private in the Maine state coast guard at the start of the Civil War, and later was promoted to corporal. Samuel Fessenden was an ardent abolitionist, and his influence led Hamlin to also become a strong abolitionist throughout his career. Lincoln's legal training and experience helped him deal with complicated issues when he became President, such as the Southern states' secession from the Union and the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Don E. Fehrenbacher and Virginia Fehrenbacher, editors. The most likely explanation is that, with the tide of the Civil War turning in the Union's favor, President Lincoln thought the anti-slavery Tennessean Andrew Johnson would be better positioned to heal the wounds of the Civil War. He had a cordial but not close relationship with the President. Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as 1836. HIS HEALTH HAD BEEN FAILING FOR A YEAR - A CAREER WHICH BEGAN ON A FARM AND CULMINATED IN THE VICE PRESIDENT'S CHAIR. March 28, 2014 Hannibal Hamlin: A Voice for Freedom Share Watch on Thomas E. Marshall, Vice-President under Wilson, summed up the historical fate of most Vice-Presidents in this joke he used to tell: There were two brothers. On Saturday, August 22, The Hamlin Memorial Library on Paris Hill Road in Paris will mark the day with events honoring his life The people of Maine are proud of Hannibal Hamlin's service to our country. In April of 1865, he was walking along a street in Bangor when he heard the news of President Lincoln's assassination. Hamlins sons Charles and Cyrus were both Union generals; Hamlin himself even served briefly as a private in the Army during the Civil War. Hunt, H. Draper. Vice President of the United States. 2 vols. 1 letter (3 pages). Vice President elected on 1860 Republican ticket but unexpectedly dropped on 1864 Union ticket in favor of Andrew Johnson, a Tennessee War Democrat. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. 1883. He was given the nomination on the second ballot. Had Hamlin won instead of Fessenden, Johnson would have been removed and Senator Ben Wade would have been President. Hannibal Hamlin missed being President by five weeks. In 1868, he actively supported the election of President Grant and re-gained his former seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served for 12 more years, establishing an unsurpassed record of legislative accomplishment and earning the affectionate title of "Father of the Senate." In the Senate chamber Hamlin gave a short, cogent speech before an unwell Johnson, fortified with whiskey, gave a long and incoherent one. In OTL, Lincoln's first Vice President, former Maine Governor and Representative Hannibal Hamlin, was replaced as Lincoln's on the running mate by Southern Unionist and War Democrat, Tennessee Military Governor Andrew Johnson; who would go on to become the 17th President of the United States after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865. Hamlin told the gathered Republicans that he didnt want the office. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives, Origins & Development: From the Constitution to the Modern House, Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, & Inaugurations, Presidents, Vice Presidents, & Coinciding Sessions of Congress, Individuals Who Have Lain in State or Honor, Foreign Leaders and Dignitaries Who Have Addressed the U.S. Congress, Calendars of the House of Representatives, Search Historical Highlights of the House, Chief Administrative Officers of the House, John W. McCormack Annual Award of Excellence to Congressional Employees, House Members Who Became U.S. Supreme Court Justices, House Members Who Received Electoral College Votes, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress, A Chair Made Illustrious: A Concise History of the U.S. House Speakership, Jeannette Rankins Historic Election: A Century of Women in Congress, Joseph H. Rainey: 150 Years of Black Americans Elected to Congress, Campaign Collectibles: Running for Congress, The Capitol and the Golden Age of Postcards, Portraits in the House of Representatives, On Display: Exhibitions from the House Collection, The Peoples House: A Guide to Its History, Spaces, and Traditions, Electronic Technology in the House of Representatives, An Annual Outing: The Congressional Baseball Game, Florence Kahn: Congressional Widow to Trailblazing Lawmaker, Mace of the U.S. House of Represen- tatives, The Long Struggle for Representation: Oral Histories of African Americans in Congress, National History Day 2023: Frontiers in History, Time for a Tour: Visiting the Peoples House, Researching the House: Other Primary Sources, https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/H/HAMLIN,-Hannibal-(H000121)/. Johnson would go on to become one of the worst Presidents in American history. Scan this QR code to download the app now. . "Hannibal Hamlin." By a single vote, Republicans legislators chose him to return to the Senate in 1869. At the White House, he stood beside his successor Andrew Johnson at the side of Lincolns casket. It is too bad, too bad. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
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