Hannibal Hamlin, the first Vice-President under Abraham Lincoln, narrowly missed out on becoming President. He was replaced by Andrew Johnson only a month before Lincoln’s assassination. Unlike Johnson, who was a Republican, Hamlin was relatively unpopular with both the public and Lincoln himself. In fact, Lincoln dropped him from his 1860 re-election ticket in favor of Johnson, a Southerner. Despite this setback, Hamlin went on to have a fascinating career as a senator, Collector of the Port of Boston, and foreign ambassador before retiring. Let’s take a closer look at his early life, start in politics, time as Vice-President, post-VP political endeavors, and later life and death. His legacy continues to be remembered today.
