Lincoln for President: An Unlikely Candidate, an Audacious Strategy, and the Victory No One Saw Coming

by Bruce Chadwick

The untold story of the drama, controversy, and incredible political genius of Lincoln's first presidential campaign In May of 1860, Republican delegates gathered in Chicago for their second-ever convention, with the full expectation of electing William Seward their next presidential candidate. But waiting in the wings was a dark horse no one suspected, putting the final touches on a plan that would not only result in a most unexpected candidacy, but the most brilliant, innovative, and daring presidential campaign in American history. He went by the name of Lincoln. Lincoln for President is the incredible story of how Lincoln overcame overwhelming odds to not only capture his party's nomination but win the presidency. His amazingly modern strategy included the first media campaign blitz, convention tactics that originated the concept of "Chicago politics," and a deft manipulation of the electoral college. His bold tactics changed forever the way presidential campaigns are won…not to mention the course of American history. PRAISE FOR BRUCE CHADWICK
"Dr. Chadwick tells an exciting story… His analysis will provoke further debate about this momentous period in American history."
Dr. Paul Clemens, Chairman of the Rutgers University Department of History "In this remarkable new book, Bruce Chadwick reminds us of the three extraordinary men who worked state by state, individual by individual, to ensure passage of the Constitution. It's a fascinating tale, well told."
Terry Golway, author of Washington's General and Ronald Reagan's America 1858:
"This book is a gem."
Curled Up With a Good Book "A gripping narrative."
Kurt Piehler, author of Remembering War the American Way The First American
"To understand the Revolutionary War, really understand it, read this book."
Dave R. Palmer, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Ret); author of The Way of the Fox George Washington's
"Chadwick pierces the fog of myth that has always surrounded our nation's father."
Michael Aaron Rockland, professor, Rutgers University

Genres: History, Politics, Civil War, Presidents, Biography, American History, Nonfiction

396 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2009

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! What a thrilling story, the campaign trail of 1860 has so much unknown drama and excitement that most Americans haven’t learned anything about. In Lincoln For President, the author gives us a full rundown of this election, from the chaotic Democratic primary to the last rigorous campaigning in New York. I highly recommend this book, it will give you an exciting story that is untold!

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has read many books about Abraham Lincoln [1], I am always intrigued when someone tries to find something new about him, some area of his life and behavior that have not drawn a great deal of scrutiny, an immensely difficult task given the fact that many thousands of books have been written about the man, about nearly every aspect of his life as can be imagined. Yet while I cannot say that this book provided something that was entirely new, it did shine some light on a period of time that I have frequently seen ignored and brushed over, his handling of the 1860 campaign. It was pleasing for me to see the way that the different candidates (at one point there were five, before Texan hero Sam Houston dropped out) handled the pressure of a divided election that made the race two separate races, and worthwhile to see the author capture some sense of drama in what many people have seen as rather ho hum and uninteresting.

The book itself is a fairly conventional campaign history, a genre of book I find enjoyable to read [2], in which a historian takes an event that is viewed in hindsight as inevitable and therefore uninteresting and then proceeds to give the backstory and add drama to the past that we have taken for granted. Such an approach works very well here, as the author begins with Lincoln as an obscure also-ran who nevertheless was a good campaigner for other candidates whom he had helped win and who was able to collect his debts and have a capable group of advisers to wheel and deal while allowing him plausible deniability about the corruption of their deals, and then proceeds to focus on the way that all of the other candidates ran their campaigns. While Lincoln stayed at home and avoided speaking, which could only lead to increased gaffes, he wrote and kept in control of his campaign, choosing a risky strategy that focused only on the free states and required winning nearly all of them in order to take the straight draw into the White House. We know, in hindsight, that this strategy was successful, but it was not so obvious at the time given the razor-thin margin in much of the Midwest in Lincoln's own neighborhood. Douglas' overconfidence in his skills as a stump speaker led him to wreck his health campaigning in areas where he had no chance rather than competing more in the North, where he had a legitimate chance to deny Lincoln an electoral college victory. Bell and Breckenridge (along with Douglas) spent too much time sniping at each other to build the fusion tickets that could have ensured the election ending up in the House of Representatives, which was the only chance either of those candidates had. Yet if they had been able to work together, the Democratic party would not have split in 1860 as disastrously as it did. Neither is Lincoln shown as perfect, as his denial of the South being serious about secession allowed the rebels to steal a march during the months before his inauguration and seriously try to divide the country. The book succeeds in adding a great deal of drama to this period of time.

Ultimately, this is a very good book, over 300 pages of material that read well and that contain some genuine political drama. The author notes, towards the end, that only a few thousand votes had to go the other way to make it a very different outcome. Given that Lincoln won less than 40% of the vote, his electoral strategy was a very risky one, although precisely the sort of strategy that can win in a fiercely divided electorate (see Trump's win in 2016, where Clinton piled up large electoral majority in states that were not seriously contested and lost a lot of closer fights in the battleground states). Those who enjoy reading political history and who have a fondness for the personalities and characters, the tactics and strategy and logistics of campaigning, will find much to enjoy here. Overall, this book was a pleasure to read and one I warmly recommend to those who enjoy the book's subject matter, even if plenty of people expected Lincoln to win once the Democrats divided in 1860.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2010...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2010...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

[2] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

http://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/...

http://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/...

[FredD · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know that Lincoln was elected President in 1860. However the details of Lincoln’s campaign strategy, along with the sheer tenacity of those who helped him get elected make Lincoln for President a must read for anyone who loves this period in American history.

[Danny Weddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you want to know Lincoln.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you think of when you think of Abraham Lincoln? The Emancipation Proclamation? His assassination in Ford Theater? His top hat? Daniel Day Lewis winning an Oscar? After reading Lincoln for President, my mind will always go to the 1860 election.

Chadwick debunks common myth and legends about that (ultimately) crucial election. Lincoln did not appear out of nowhere and steal the presidency away from the unsuspecting Democratic party. In fact, Lincoln's rise to presidency was very carefully planned. He had his people out everywhere, getting his name into people's head at the nomination convention. Once Lincoln was nominated, the planning really began. Money was sent out to various Northern cities for the campaign, rallies were planned, images invented, and stump speakers carefully selected. Though he remained home, Lincoln oversaw his whole campaign through various letters. Never let anyone tell you Lincoln wasn't ambitious. Everything he had done it life was to get to the presidency. He cultivated friendships and favors, writing thousands of letters, remembering every face he ever encountered. Lincoln knew exactly what he was doing.

What was truly fascinating to me, however, was the disintegration of the Democratic party. The ticket ended up being three ways, which did not help at all. It is this fact that makes it easy to think Lincoln just did nothing. In fact, Lincoln used this to his advantage. He focused entirely on the North, not spending a penny in the South. Douglas, on the other hand, made the mistake of stretching his money too thin by trying to win states both North and South. Lincoln rarely appeared in public, letting his stump speakers and strategists do their work. Douglas made the mistake of going on the campaign trial, ultimately causing him to say thing that could be used against him. Ultimately, Douglas and the Democratics in general were overconfident in their ability to win the election. Lincoln and the Republicans were not.

Enjoyable and informative, Chadwick finds a story in a place most Lincoln biographers never look. You will never be able to ignore the 1860 election again. Must-read!

[Bill P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chadwick begins his discussion of the 1860 election of Lincoln pointing out how little space in the many definitive biographies of Lincoln was actually devoted to his election to the presidency. Chadwick takes some 300+ pages to cover the topic thoroughly with an eye towards putting Lincoln in the drivers seat for the entire campaign. It was a different time when personal appearances were considered unseemly for a Presidential candidate, but with letter writing, personal couriers and telegrams Lincoln stayed in touch with hundreds of campaign workers and strategists around the country. It was interesting to learn that Stephen Douglas in a desparate move did campaign against Lincoln making personnel appearances that were largely successful when he did so in the key northern states. He failed completely in the South, where Lincoln did not even bother to spend a dollar to encourage votes. Chadwick relys too heavily in places in vote counts to demonstrate how close the final outcome was. He could have easily made the point without the district by district tallies, but this is a minor gripe in an overall entertaining historical read.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book was interesting, but my interest waned as I kept reading, and I had to make myself finish it. The second half became more statistics about the campaign than a story of the candidates. I much prefer getting to know the people to details of which county was carried by the Republicans or Democrats and by how great a percentage.

It was interesting to see how much elections have stayed the same over the years - promises to appoint campaigners/contributors to offices, manipulation of the public by what is said and what is not said, etc. It was also interesting to see how campaigns had changed. In the 1860s, candidates did not attend the nominating conventions or campaign for themselves. They stayed home and allowed others to do that for them. Apparently, Douglas' decision to go on tour to campaign personally was something new.

I imagine that are better books out there that cover the election and provide a more personalized account of the candidates and their parties. This one was ok, but not one of my favorite reads.

[Adam Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lincoln for Prez, was an very interesting read until half-3quarter way through. Then the story started to wane in my opinion. As I was reading from that point, it seemed that Chadwick was struggling to make text and an interesting one like that. It felt to me like I was listening to a high school student struggling to read an oral report that needed to consist of so many words but the student was being repetitive and unnecessary writing. It's still a good read and learned a few things which is why I recommend it.

[Andrew Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent work on a critical moment in American history. Given the three-way split in the Democratic Party in 1860, historians have often treated the election as having gone to Lincoln almost by default. Chadwick illustrates that Lincoln, in fact, ran a masterful campaign, both as an underdog for the Republican nomination and as a candidate. He also shows just how close Lincoln came to losing, in spite of everything. Well worth reading.

[Abraham Allende · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was tedious reading. It was comparable to a graduate level thesis. It was informative but the writing was somewhat awkward, disjointed and laborious. The author undertook this project because he felt that no other Lincoln biographer had devoted many pages to the election itself. After reading this book, I can see why. Of all the book I've read on Lincoln, I would place this at the bottom of the stack.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly interesting insight into the election of 1860. We see that Abraham Lincoln, "Honest Abe", was also quite the pragmatic and calculating of politicians of his time.

An interesting behind the scenes look into the events that shaped the election of the man considered our nation's greatest president by most historians.

[Jim Swenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too far along, but looks like it will rank up there with the many other Lincoln books I've read.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

very insightful. gives a clear idea of the political environment surrounding one of the most divided times in our history.

[Mary]

Very interesting - many parallels to today. I would read other books by the author. I actually listened to the audiobook and the reader was very good too.

[Bryan Ericson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time that I have read this book. An enjoyable and easy to read account of the most fascinating Presidential election ever.