Lincoln's Last Days: March 16, 1865
On March 16, 1865 (150 years ago), Lincoln was still not feeling well after the recent illness that had kept him out of the oval office for two days. Early that morning he met with former Illinois Senator Orville Browning. The two men had a conversation in which Lincoln mentioned that the Secretary of War Edwin Stanton had left that morning to meet with General Ulysses Grant.
Lincoln and Browning were friends and had much in common. They were close in age (Browning was born in 1806, Lincoln in 1809), both men were born in Kentucky and both served in the Army during the Black Hawk War. Both were lawyers, with Browning gaining notoriety for his successful defense of five men who had been accused of the murder of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Browning and Lincoln were both former Whigs who were on the ground floor at the formation of the Republican Party. Browning was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Stephen A. Douglas after Douglas' untimely death in June of 1861. But Browning's bid for re-election as Senator from Illinois failed in 1862 and Lincoln regretted not having a close friend like Browning in the Senate. Lincoln considered appointing Browning Secretary of the Interior to replace Caleb Smith, but Browning was not appointed to that position until September of 1866, during the administration of Andrew Johnson.
Later that morning, Lincoln went for a ride with his son Tad. He also wrote to John Evans, Territorial Governor of the Colorado Territory. In the letter, Lincoln wrote, "As you are Governor of the Territory of Colorado, and Hon. J. M. Ashley, of Ohio is, and probably will again be, Chairman of the Committee on Territories, of the H. R. there is no objection to your corresponding with him about territorial matters." The intent of this likely concerned patronage appointments in the territory.
Lincoln and Browning were friends and had much in common. They were close in age (Browning was born in 1806, Lincoln in 1809), both men were born in Kentucky and both served in the Army during the Black Hawk War. Both were lawyers, with Browning gaining notoriety for his successful defense of five men who had been accused of the murder of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Browning and Lincoln were both former Whigs who were on the ground floor at the formation of the Republican Party. Browning was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Stephen A. Douglas after Douglas' untimely death in June of 1861. But Browning's bid for re-election as Senator from Illinois failed in 1862 and Lincoln regretted not having a close friend like Browning in the Senate. Lincoln considered appointing Browning Secretary of the Interior to replace Caleb Smith, but Browning was not appointed to that position until September of 1866, during the administration of Andrew Johnson.
Later that morning, Lincoln went for a ride with his son Tad. He also wrote to John Evans, Territorial Governor of the Colorado Territory. In the letter, Lincoln wrote, "As you are Governor of the Territory of Colorado, and Hon. J. M. Ashley, of Ohio is, and probably will again be, Chairman of the Committee on Territories, of the H. R. there is no objection to your corresponding with him about territorial matters." The intent of this likely concerned patronage appointments in the territory.