Lincoln Nomination
Honesdale, Wayne County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
In May, 1859, Horace Greeley met with notable political leaders to create a boom to nominate Abraham Lincoln for President. The events that ensued at the Republican National Convention in Chicago paralleled the strategy planned at the parley held in this building.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In May 1859, the influential editor Horace Greeley reportedly met with political allies in this building to lay groundwork for an unlikely presidential bid by Abraham Lincoln. The maneuvering echoed the coalition-building that would carry Lincoln to the Republican nomination at the 1860 Chicago convention. Such backroom parleys were where the anti-slavery Republican Party's strategy took shape on the eve of the sectional crisis.
Why it matters
It marks a moment in the political groundwork that produced Lincoln's improbable nomination — the decision that placed him in the White House as the Union faced secession and war.
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Related people
- · Horace Greeley
- · Abraham Lincoln
Related events
- · 1860 Republican National Convention
Themes & tags
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