| Timeline |
| 1809 |
Abraham Lincoln is born 12 February in Kentucky |
| 1815 |
Lincoln attends local school |
| 1816 |
Lincoln family moves to Illinois |
| 1818 |
Abraham's mother dies |
| 1828 |
Travels to New Orleans, witnesses a slave auction |
| 1831 |
Works as clerk in a village store |
| 1833 |
Appointed Postmaster of New Salem; later in year is appointed Deputy County Surveyor |
| 1834 |
Elected to the Illinois General Assembly as a member of the Whig party; begins to study law |
| 1836 |
Leader of the Whig party, re-elected to the Illinois Gen. Assembly; receives law license |
| 1837 |
Moves to Springfield; becomes a law partner of John T. Stuart |
| 1838 |
Re-elected to the Illinois Gen. Assembly, becoming Whig floor leader |
| 1839 |
Admitted to practice in United States Circuit Court |
| 1840 |
Re-elected to the Illinois Gen. Assembly |
| 1841 |
Forms new law partnership with Stephen T. Logan |
| 1842 |
Marries Mary Todd in Springfield |
| 1843 |
First child, Robert Todd Lincoln, is born; unsuccessfully runs for the Whig nomination for U.S. Congress |
| 1844 |
Dissolves law partnership with Logan, begins to practice independently |
| 1846 |
Son, Edward Baker Lincoln, is born; elected to the U.S. House of Representatives |
| 1847 |
Moves to Washington D.C. |
| 1849 |
Returns to Illinois to resume law practice |
| 1850 |
Son Edward dies; another son, William Wallace, is born |
| 1853 |
Son Thomas (Tad) is born |
| 1854 |
Elected to Illinois legislature but declines the seat in order to try to become U.S. Senator |
| 1855 |
Is not chosen by the Illinois legislature to be U.S. Senator |
| 1856 |
Helps organize the new Republican party of Illinois; receives 110 votes for the vice-presidential nomination |
| 1858 |
Nominated to be the Republican senator from Illinois; debates with Stephen A. Douglas |
| 1859 |
Loses Senate seat to Douglas |
| 1860 |
Elected 16th President of the United States |
| 1861 |
Civil War begins |
| 1862 |
Son Willie dies |
| 1863 |
Issues the final Emancipation Proclamation; delivers Gettysburg Address |
| 1864 |
Nominated for president by a coalition of Republicans and War Democrats, is re-elected |
| 1865 |
Civil War ends; Lincoln shot 14 April at Ford's Theater, he dies the next day |
