Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. Thomas was a strong and determined pioneer who found a moderate level of prosperity and was well respected in the community. The couple had two other children: Abraham's older sister Sarah and younger brother Thomas, who died in infancy. Nancy Lincoln died when Abraham was just 9 years old. Lincoln eventually migrated to the small community of New Salem, Illinois where over a period of years he worked as a shopkeeper, postmaster, and eventually general store owner. It was here that Lincoln, working with the public, acquired social skills and honed story-telling talent that made him popular with the locals.
Abraham Lincoln began his political career and was elected to the Illinois state legislature in 1834 as a member of the Whig Party. He supported the Whig politics of government-sponsored infrastructure and protective tariffs. This political understanding led him to formulate his early views on slavery, not so much as a moral wrong, but as an impediment to economic development. It was around this time that he decided to become a lawyer, teaching himself the law.
Lincoln married Mary Todd on November 4, 1842. The couple had four children, of which only one, Robert, survived to adulthood. Lincoln's nomination for president was due in part to his moderate views on slavery, his support for improving the national infrastructure, and the protective tariff.
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