Hannibal Hamlin Stood Up

Vice Presidents of The United States Podcast

When a great national battle was on, Hamlin made his voice clear, taking on slavery, the slave power and Jefferson Davis himself. So much so, he attracted the attention of a young congressman who would become his Commander in Chief.

When his name was added to the ticket in 1860, Hannibal Hamlin's Lincoln's first vice-president was pleased to see a supportive sign that combined the two names of the candidates and read "AbraHamlinColn." The campaign sign however, would not reflect the relationship between Hamlin and the nation's most revered President that he served under. Hamlin was not often consulted by Lincoln. Nor would it reflect the accomplishment of a long-serving Senator who was a key fighter against slavery in the United States.