Lincoln's Birthday

Lincoln's (Abraham) Birthday

February 12

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, also called the Great Emancipator, the Rail Splitter, and Honest Abe, was born on Feb. 12, 1809. President throughout the Civil War, he is known for his struggle to preserve the union, his issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, and his assassination less than two weeks after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House in 1865 ( see Appomattox Day).
A wreath-laying ceremony and reading of the Gettysburg Address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., are traditional on Feb. 12. Because the Republican party reveres Lincoln as its first president, Republicans commonly hold Lincoln Day fundraising dinners, as the Democrats hold Jackson Day dinners.
Lincoln's actual birthday, Feb. 12, is a legal holiday in 11 states: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia. In most other states, Lincoln's and George Washington's birthdays are combined for a legal holiday on the third Monday in February called either Presidents' Day or Washington-Lincoln Day.

CONTACTS:
Lincoln Memorial
National Park Service
900 Ohio Dr., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20024
202-426-6841
www.nps.gov
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, DC 20540
202-707-5000; fax: 202-707-8366
www.loc.gov

SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, pp. 134, 283
AnnivHol-2000, p. 26
BkFest-1937, p. 15
BkHolWrld-1986, Feb 12
DictDays-1988, p. 68
HolSymbols-2009, p. 511

Celebration day: Feb 12