answersLogoWhite

0

Hannibal Hamlin was Abraham Lincoln's vice president during his FIRST term (1861-1865), but Lincoln had to sidestep a schism in the Republican Party in 1864. He formed the "National Union" party which included a majority of Republicans and some Democrats. Ironically, his choice of a Southern Democrat (Andrew Johnson) as his running mate meant that Johnson succeeded to the Presidency when Lincoln was killed, just 1 month into his second term. Johnson's quarrels with the Radical Republicans had tremendous implications for the post- Civil War states of the South under Reconstruction.

History might have been quite different if Lincoln had been able to keep Hamlin as his VP.

User Avatar

Wiki User

7y ago

What else can I help you with?