Levi Lincoln, Sr. (May 15, 1749–April 14, 1820) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
revolutionary and statesman who served as a Minuteman at the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
, a state legislator in
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, a participant in Massachusetts' state constitutional convention,
Governor of MassachusettsThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
,
Lieutenant Governor of MassachusettsThe Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts...
, a
U.S. RepresentativeThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
,
Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
for
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States , the principal author of the Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States...
and
ActingIn law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity.*The person does not have a mandate....
Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of...
.
Lincoln was born in
Hingham, MassachusettsHingham is a town in Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
, on May 15, 1749. He graduated from
HarvardHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
in 1772 and studied law under
Joseph HawleyJoseph Hawley was a political leader from Massachusetts during the era of the American Revolution.Born in Northampton, Massachusetts, Hawley was a graduate of Yale, and served as a chaplain in a Massachusetts regiment during the 1745 Louisbourg expedition. He studied law under Phineas Lyman, and...
. When the Battle of Lexington occurred he volunteered to fight with the Minutemen.
Levi Lincoln, Sr. (May 15, 1749–April 14, 1820) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
revolutionary and statesman who served as a Minuteman at the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
, a state legislator in
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, a participant in Massachusetts' state constitutional convention,
Governor of MassachusettsThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
,
Lieutenant Governor of MassachusettsThe Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts...
, a
U.S. RepresentativeThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
,
Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
for
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States , the principal author of the Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States...
and
ActingIn law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity.*The person does not have a mandate....
Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of...
.
Lincoln was born in
Hingham, MassachusettsHingham is a town in Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
, on May 15, 1749. He graduated from
HarvardHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
in 1772 and studied law under
Joseph HawleyJoseph Hawley was a political leader from Massachusetts during the era of the American Revolution.Born in Northampton, Massachusetts, Hawley was a graduate of Yale, and served as a chaplain in a Massachusetts regiment during the 1745 Louisbourg expedition. He studied law under Phineas Lyman, and...
. When the Battle of Lexington occurred he volunteered to fight with the Minutemen. From 1775 to 1781, he served as clerk of the court and probate judge of
Worcester CountyWorcester County is a non-governmental county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The largest city and county seat is the city of Worcester. The population was 750,963 at the 2000 census.- Law and government :...
. Though elected to the
Continental CongressThe Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution...
in 1781, he declined to serve. Lincoln was a member of the
Massachusetts House of RepresentativesThe Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from an equal number of single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives...
in 1796, and of the
SenateThe Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate consists of 40 elected members from an equal amount of single-member senatorial districts in commonwealth...
in 1797. In 1800, he was elected to
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
and served until March 5, 1801, when President
JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States , the principal author of the Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States...
appointed him Attorney General of the United States. He held the office until March 5, 1805. Lincoln was acting Secretary of State from March 5, 1801 to May 2, 1801.
Lincoln was a member of the Council of Massachusetts in 1806, and served as
Lieutenant GovernorA lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor - a "second-in-command." In many Commonwealth of Nations states, lieutenant governors are usually deputy heads...
in 1807-1808. Upon the death of James Sullivan, he became
GovernorThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
, but was not elected in 1809. In 1811 he was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court but declined. He died in
Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. Having a population of 172,648 in the 2000 census, Worcester is ranked the second or third largest city in New England. It is the county seat of Worcester County....
on April 14, 1820.
Lincoln was distantly related to General Benjamin Lincoln IV,
Secretary of WarThe Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
1781-1783, as well as
Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery...
, sharing a common ancestor with the sixteenth U.S. President in
Samuel LincolnSamuel Lincoln , was progenitor of many notable United States political figures, including his great-great-great-great-grandson, President Abraham Lincoln, Maine governor Enoch Lincoln, and Levi Lincoln, Sr...
, who had settled in
Hingham, MassachusettsHingham is a town in Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
, in the 17th Century. He had two sons who were also governors -
Levi Lincoln, Jr.Levi Lincoln, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Worcester, Massachusetts. He was Governor of Massachusetts and represented the state in the U.S. Congress...
, who was also
Governor of MassachusettsThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
, and
Enoch LincolnEnoch Lincoln was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and from Maine, son of Levi Lincoln and brother of Levi Lincoln . Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Lincoln graduated from Harvard University in 1807.He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of his profession in...
, who was
Governor of Maine.
External links
External links