On  this day in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the
United States over a deeply divided Democratic Party, becoming the first Republican to win the presidency. Lincoln received only 40 percent of the
popular vote but handily defeated the three other candidates: Southern
Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell,
and Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas, a U.S. senator for Illinois.

Lincoln, a Kentucky-born lawyer and former Whig representative to
Congress, first gained national stature during his campaign against
Stephen Douglas of Illinois for a U.S. Senate seat in 1858.

1860 Election Facts:

• Welcome: Minnesota and Oregon become states during this
  election cycle
• Original 13 States control fewer than 50% of total Electoral
  Votes for first time
• Lincoln received only about 40% of the popular vote in a
  divided nation on the brink of Civil War
• New Jersey: Douglas won the popular vote on a Fusion
  slate comprised of 3 of his electors and 2 each for
  Breckinridge and Bell. Apparently – the history is a bit
  murky – some voters received a ballot with seven Douglas
  electors, taking votes from the Breckinridge/Bell electors.
  Bottom line – the 3 Douglas electors on the Fusion slate
  received the most votes, while the most votes for the four
  remaining spots went to Lincoln’s electors.
• Issues of the Day: Slavery (Dred Scott decision, Secession)