Hannibal Hamlin

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Hannibal Hamlin
Photograph c. 1860–1865
15th Vice President of the United States
In office March 4, 1861 – March 4, 1865
President	Abraham Lincoln
Preceded by	John C. Breckinridge
Succeeded by	Andrew Johnson
United States Minister to Spain
In office December 20, 1881 – October 17, 1882
President	Chester A. Arthur
Preceded by	Lucius Fairchild
Succeeded by	John W. Foster
United States Senator from Maine
In office March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1881
Preceded by	Lot M. Morrill
Succeeded by	Eugene Hale
In office March 4, 1857 – January 17, 1861
Preceded by	Amos Nourse
Succeeded by	Lot M. Morrill
In office June 8, 1848 – January 7, 1857
Preceded by	Wyman B. S. Moor
Succeeded by	Amos Nourse
26th Governor of Maine
In office January 8, 1857 – February 25, 1857
Preceded by	Samuel Wells
Succeeded by	Joseph H. Williams
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 6th district
In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847
Preceded by	Alfred Marshall
Succeeded by	James S. Wiley
Personal details
Born	(1809-08-27)August 27, 1809 Paris, Massachusetts (now Maine), U.S.
Died	July 4, 1891(1891-07-04) (aged 81) Bangor, Maine, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Hope Cemetery (Bangor, Maine)
Political party	Republican (1856–1891)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 1856)
Spouses	Sarah Emery ​ ​ (m. 1833; died 1855)​ Ellen Emery ​ (m. 1856)​
Children	6, including Charles, Cyrus, and Hannibal
Signature

Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican vice president.

An attorney by background, Hamlin began his political career as a Democrat in the Maine House of Representatives before being elected twice to the United States House of Representatives, and then to the United States Senate. With his strong abolitionist views, he left the Democratic Party for the newly formed Republican Party in 1856. In the 1860 general election, Hamlin balanced the successful Republican ticket as a New Englander partnered with the Northwesterner Lincoln. Although not a close friend of the president, he lent loyal support to his key projects such as the Emancipation Proclamation.

In the 1864 election, Hamlin was replaced as vice-presidential nominee by Andrew Johnson, a Southern Democrat chosen for his appeal to Southern Unionists. After being appointed Collector of the Port of Boston, Hamlin was elected to two more terms in the Senate, and finally served as U.S. Minister to Spain before retiring in 1882.