Presidential Athletes: Abraham Lincoln's Wrestling Career
According to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the president perhaps best renowned for his wrestling skills was Abraham Lincoln. As a young man, Lincoln was the wrestling champion of his county, winning the honor in 1830 at the age of 21. Writings from the time describe Lincoln as an impressive physical specimen, who was thin, but wiry and muscular. Hard work in the fields had built up his strength and he used his towering height of 6 feet, 4 inches to his advantage over his shorter opponents.
In 1831, Lincoln had a famous wrestling bout with an opponent named Jack Armstrong, who had a reputation as a local tough and as the county wrestling champion. He belonged to a group known as the Clary's Grove boys, who lived in a settlement near New Salem, Illinois. They were described as a a loud and reckless, frontier crowd who enjoyed fighting and drinking. The 185 pound Lincoln was working in a general store at New Salem at the time. His boss Denton Offutt was actually supposed to meet Armstrong in a match, but he backed him out of the match, and Lincoln either volunteered, or was volunteered as the replacement. The entire town turned out for the fight. Offutt bet $10 Lincoln would win. Other residents bet money, drinks, trinkets and knives.
Despite Armstrong's reputation, contemporary reports say that Lincoln started off strong and was besting the local champion. Armstrong became frustrated by Lincoln’s enormous reach, and began fouling his opponent. The HOF reports that Lincoln took it for a while, but eventually lost his temper. It is said that Lincoln picked up his opponent, in a move similar to what today would be called a "pile-driver" and slammed Armstrong to the ground, knocked him out. Armstrong's friends became enraged and wanted to start a brawl, but Armstrong recovered in time, and a riot was averted. It is said that Lincoln and Armstrong became good friends after the event.
The following year, in 1832, Lincoln was serving as captain of a company of the Illinois Volunteers, raised because of the Indian uprising by Black Hawk. It is said that Lincoln suffered his only recorded defeat in a wrestling bout while a member of this company. He fought a soldier from another unit and lost a rugged struggle by just one fall. This time it was Lincoln's soldiers who wanted to start a free-for-all after the match was over, and it was Lincoln who kept the peace.
In 1858, Duff Armstrong, the son of his old wrestling opponent and new friend Jack Armstrong and Jack's wife Hannah, was accused of murder. Lincoln was a defense attorney, and he represented the young man in a jury trial. The jury returned a not guilty verdict in what became known as the famous "Almanac Trial", held in Beardstown. It is said that Lincoln refused to take a fee for the defense because of his friendship with the Armstrongs.
The Wrestling Hall of Fame reports that Lincoln did not use the common British style of "collar and elbow", opting instead for the free-for-all style of the frontier, also known as "catch-as-catch-can." This style is described as more hand-to-hand combat than sport.
Lincoln did not achieve any national fame as a wrestler, but his skills were notorious enough to be mentioned in most of his campaign and other contemporary biographies. Lincoln's perennial opponent, Stephen Douglas, often spoke of his opponent's skill as a wrestler. Douglas, at the first Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Ottawa, Illinois on August 21, 1858, referred to Lincoln's longstanding reputation as a wrestler in what the New York Times called an "amusing passage." Douglas mentioned having known Lincoln for decades, adding, "He could beat any of the boys at wrestling."
In 1831, Lincoln had a famous wrestling bout with an opponent named Jack Armstrong, who had a reputation as a local tough and as the county wrestling champion. He belonged to a group known as the Clary's Grove boys, who lived in a settlement near New Salem, Illinois. They were described as a a loud and reckless, frontier crowd who enjoyed fighting and drinking. The 185 pound Lincoln was working in a general store at New Salem at the time. His boss Denton Offutt was actually supposed to meet Armstrong in a match, but he backed him out of the match, and Lincoln either volunteered, or was volunteered as the replacement. The entire town turned out for the fight. Offutt bet $10 Lincoln would win. Other residents bet money, drinks, trinkets and knives.
Despite Armstrong's reputation, contemporary reports say that Lincoln started off strong and was besting the local champion. Armstrong became frustrated by Lincoln’s enormous reach, and began fouling his opponent. The HOF reports that Lincoln took it for a while, but eventually lost his temper. It is said that Lincoln picked up his opponent, in a move similar to what today would be called a "pile-driver" and slammed Armstrong to the ground, knocked him out. Armstrong's friends became enraged and wanted to start a brawl, but Armstrong recovered in time, and a riot was averted. It is said that Lincoln and Armstrong became good friends after the event.
The following year, in 1832, Lincoln was serving as captain of a company of the Illinois Volunteers, raised because of the Indian uprising by Black Hawk. It is said that Lincoln suffered his only recorded defeat in a wrestling bout while a member of this company. He fought a soldier from another unit and lost a rugged struggle by just one fall. This time it was Lincoln's soldiers who wanted to start a free-for-all after the match was over, and it was Lincoln who kept the peace.
In 1858, Duff Armstrong, the son of his old wrestling opponent and new friend Jack Armstrong and Jack's wife Hannah, was accused of murder. Lincoln was a defense attorney, and he represented the young man in a jury trial. The jury returned a not guilty verdict in what became known as the famous "Almanac Trial", held in Beardstown. It is said that Lincoln refused to take a fee for the defense because of his friendship with the Armstrongs.
The Wrestling Hall of Fame reports that Lincoln did not use the common British style of "collar and elbow", opting instead for the free-for-all style of the frontier, also known as "catch-as-catch-can." This style is described as more hand-to-hand combat than sport.
Lincoln did not achieve any national fame as a wrestler, but his skills were notorious enough to be mentioned in most of his campaign and other contemporary biographies. Lincoln's perennial opponent, Stephen Douglas, often spoke of his opponent's skill as a wrestler. Douglas, at the first Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Ottawa, Illinois on August 21, 1858, referred to Lincoln's longstanding reputation as a wrestler in what the New York Times called an "amusing passage." Douglas mentioned having known Lincoln for decades, adding, "He could beat any of the boys at wrestling."