Abraham Lincoln — 16th President (1861–1865)

**Abraham Lincoln** is the president against whom all others are measured. A self-educated lawyer from Illinois who preserved the Union, abolished slavery, and redefined American democracy — all while fighting the bloodiest war in American history, managing a fractious cabinet of rivals, and enduring personal depression that would have broken lesser people. He was assassinated five days after Lee's surrender, becoming a martyr for the nation he saved.