Abraham Lincoln was had an astute political mind. This was amply demonstrated when during the course of the American Civil War, he chose to select a new Vice President for his second term.

For Abraham Lincoln‘s first term, he chose as Vice President Hannibal Hamlin.  Hamlin was chosen for political reasons both because he could deliver votes from the nascent Republican party in the Northeast and his ardent stance against slavery.

As an interesting side note, Lincoln and Hamlin did not meet until after the election. (Things were a bit different back then than they are nowadays.)

Due to his poor choices in terms of selecting war generals – specifically Joseph Hooker’s appointment as commander of the Army of the Potomac – and the evolving political scene, Lincoln felt a need to broaden his base of political support for the second term.

For Lincoln’s second term run, he chose Andrew Johnson, a Southerner and a Democrat as his running mate. This combination brought about a win for Lincoln but it was short lived as his life was tragically cut short by his assassination. Johnson went on to become President after that tragic event.

Tags: abraham lincoln, andrew johnson, assassination, hannibal hamlin, vice president