George Opdyke (1805-1880) George Opdyke was a fighter. That quality had served him well in careers in retailing, manufacturing and banking and worked in Ohio, Louisiana and New Jersey. He “had risen from a journeyman tailor in New Orleans to be one of New York’s wealthy merchants. He had… Abraham Lincoln and New York >

Edwin D. Morgan (1811-1883) As Governor of New York, Morgan played an important role in the mobilization of New York. Immediately after the attack on Fort Sumter, the State Legislature granted to a seven-member military board authority to deal with crisis. The delegation of authority to the board rather than to… Abraham Lincoln and New […]

Preston King (1806-1865) President Lincoln “had probably had no more loyal and devoted friend in the Senate than Preston King,” wrote New York Evening Post editor John Bigelow. But Bigelow wrote in his diary in the summer of 1861 that King thought that President Lincoln left the impression that “he was not only…” Abraham Lincoln […]

George G. Hoskins (1824-1893) George G. Hoskins was a prominent Upstate Republican leader who served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1865. Hoskins was also a friend of New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley and Congressman…” Abraham Lincoln and New York >

Ira Harris (1802-1875) Harris’s frequent presence at the White House gave him insight into President Lincoln’s past. Once, Senator Harris was present at the White House when President Lincoln admitted “It may seem somewhat strange to say, but I never…” Abraham Lincoln and New York >

Reuben E. Fenton (1819-1885) Fenton’s personality proved a useful asset in negotiating political problems with Mr. Lincoln. “My relations with President Lincoln were cordial. I was a member of the House of Representatives when he entered upon the…” Abraham Lincoln and New York >

Simeon Draper (1804-1866) Draper was active in the political machinations of New York Republican politics during the Civil War. In early March, 1864 he wrote Commissioner of Indian Affairs William P. Dole, who often acted as a conduit for political information for the President about… Abraham Lincoln and New York >

David Dudley Field (1805-1894) Mr. Lincoln first met David Dudley Field in Chicago at the River and Harbor Convention in July 1847 where Mr. Lincoln delivered a reply to Field’s contention that publicly financed public works should be limited by the Constitution. The New York Tribune reported… Abraham Lincoln and New York >

Chauncey M. Depew (1834-1928) The young Yale graduate and lawyer was first elected to the New York Assembly in 1861. In the 1863 legislative session, Chauncey Depew was a likely candidate for speaker of the State Assembly, but the body was evenly split between… Abraham Lincoln and New York >

Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888) Conkling was better known for his career after the Civil War — when his arrogance reached almost insufferable levels. After serving another term in Congress from 1865 to 1867, Conkling was elected to the Senate. “Conkling was a…” Abraham Lincoln and New York >