Lincoln's Birthday

If you are a fan of this column, you know we celebrate all sorts of special events. Today we celebrate an American icon. Feb. 12 is Lincoln's Birthday.

Abraham Lincoln was born on this day in Kentucky in 1809. He was a farmer and a captain in the Black Hawk War. With no formal education, he became an attorney, studying law on his own. He eventually married Mary Todd and the couple had four boys. Only one lived to adulthood. While his first political campaign was unsuccessful, Lincoln went on to become a United States Senator and the 16th president of the United States. Known as the “Great Emancipator” and “Honest Abe,” Lincoln ended slavery. His life was tragically cut short when he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in 1865. Abraham Lincoln, along with his wife and three of his sons, are buried at the Lincoln Tomb in his beloved home town of Springfield, IL.

While not a federal holiday, Lincoln’s Birthday is considered a state holiday in some states across the nation. Each year, a wreath laying ceremony takes place at the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capital. Some government offices and schools are closed and not all states observe Lincoln’s birthday on the same date – some observe the occasion as part of Presidents’ Day.