Lincoln Secures Nomination: Path to Presidency Opens
Abraham Lincoln secured the Republican Party's presidential nomination on May 18, 1860, at the Wigwam convention hall in Chicago, defeating the heavily favored Senator William H. Seward of New York on the third ballot. Lincoln's managers, led by David Davis and Norman Judd, had packed the gallery with supporters, traded promises of cabinet positions to rival delegations, and positioned Lincoln as the moderate alternative acceptable to all factions. Lincoln had never held national executive office and was virtually unknown outside Illinois. His nomination immediately triggered Southern threats of secession. South Carolina left the Union on December 20, 1860, six weeks after Lincoln's election. Six more states followed before his inauguration on March 4, 1861.
May 18, 1860
166 years ago
Key Figures & Places
United States Secretary of State
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Abraham Lincoln
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Republican Party (United States)
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William H. Seward
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elected
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Abraham Lincoln
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Republican Party (United States)
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1860 Republican National Convention
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William H. Seward
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United States Secretary of State
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