For other uses of the name Abraham Lincoln, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American politician who was elected the 16th President of the United States (serving from 1861 to 1865), and was the first president from the Republican Party.braham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. He was born in a one-room log cabin on the 348 acre (1.4 km²) Sinking Spring Farm.