Abraham Lincoln
The son of a Kentucky farm couple, Abraham Lincoln was a self-educated man. Before his 20th birthday, disputes over land forced his family to move from Kentucky to Indiana and then to Illinois. Lincoln’s unusual height (6'4") and strength gave him an advantage at many physical tasks, from wrestling to wielding an axe. After serving in the Illinois General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives, Lincoln embarked on a career as a lawyer. He later returned to politics to oppose slavery. An underdog in the 1860 presidential election, he defeated three other candidates despite not being on the ballot in nine Southern states. Faced with the South’s secession shortly after taking office, Lincoln guided the country through war and back to peace again. His lasting influence on U.S. politics stems in part from his ability to force competing interests to cooperate.
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