I’m sure you’re aware of it by now but you were a full four (4) years off when you mentioned Lincoln’s assassination in “1861.” It was, of course, April 1865, at the start of Lincoln’s 2nd term.
Sorry about poor Hamlin, too!
Marc Wallace
Yes, of course, you are right and I apologize to you and all readers for this error. How it happened I do not know, as I, like you, am well aware of the date of Lincoln’s assassination. I offer only this explanation: Johnson could not have been elevated to the presidency in 1861 as he was not then the vice president, so the assassination quite obviously occurred after Johnson’s inauguration as VP in March 1865. As for Hamlin, my understanding is that he was not too much bent out of shape by losing the vice presidency; the office then as now was not powerful or a useful step (up, down or sideways) for a US Senator like Hamlin. He was quite happy to return to Maine and, ultimately, to be twice more elected to the US Senate. I am grateful for your comments. I will do better in the future if there is an appetite for more of these Maine-based stories.
—Tom Lamia
