0
Abraham Lincoln came within five votes of becoming a U.S. senator on February 8, 1855. It happened one cold Thursday afternoon in Springfield, when ninety-nine members of the Illinois General Assembly met to elect a federal senator. While Mary Lincoln watched from a crowded gallery, Lincoln collected forty-five votes on the first ballot-more than anyone else, including the incumbent, a Democrat named James Shields. Yet the hours dragged by without the required majority. Most of the legislators opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and wanted to send a message to their other senator and the plan's author, Stephen A. Douglas, but for nine ballots the various anti-Douglas or anti-Nebraska factions could not unite on a candidate. Lincoln finally broke the deadlock in the early evening by releasing his remaining supporters to Lyman Trumbull, a prominent anti-Nebraska Democrat. It was a dramatic gesture by Lincoln, who apparently sacrificed himself for the free-soil cause.1
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What public office was Lincoln in?
President Lincoln held the public offices of: US President US Congressman from Illinois and State Congressman or State Assembly in Illinois.
Which congressman objected and would later become president when Polk went to war with Mexico to gain the California and the New Mexico Territories?
Abraham Lincoln.
What do you have to do to become a congressman?
Get elected
Who became the Illinois congressman after Lincoln was elected president?
Stevenson
What congressman led the spot resolutions against James Polk?
Abraham Lincoln
Which congressman objected when Polk went to war against Mexico?
Abraham Lincoln
Were Obama and Lincoln both senators of Illinois?
President Obama was formerly a senator and Abe Lincoln had been a congressman in Illinois.
Did Congressman Abraham Lincoln vote for appropriations during the Mexican War?
Congressman Abraham Lincoln was not in favor of the Mexican War. However, even at the height of his opposition he stated that he would continue to vote yes on appropriations for that war.
What branch of government was Abraham Lincoln in?
Lincoln was in 2 branches. When he was a congressman, in the Legislative Branch. When he became the President he was in the Executive Branch.
What state did Newt Gingrich become a congressman?
Georgia
Which state was Abraham Lincoln elected from?
WASHiNGTON DC ON MARCH 4, 1861 LiNCOLN WAS SWORN iNIllinois
What can be said about the qualifications of Abraham Lincoln to be the US President?
Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer who became a state legislator, then a Congressman before he became President.
