"Senator Hamlin" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Hamlin (disambiguation).
Hannibal Hamlin
Hamlin c. 1860–1865
15th Vice President of the United States
In office
March 4, 1861 – March 4, 1865
President    Abraham Lincoln
Preceded by    John C. Breckinridge
Succeeded by    Andrew Johnson
23rd United States Minister to Spain
In office
December 20, 1881 – October 17, 1882
President    Chester A. Arthur
Preceded by    Lucius Fairchild
Succeeded by    John W. Foster
United States Senator from Maine
In office
March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1881
Preceded by    Lot M. Morrill
Succeeded by    Eugene Hale
In office
March 4, 1857 – January 17, 1861
Preceded by    Amos Nourse
Succeeded by    Lot M. Morrill
In office
June 8, 1848 – January 7, 1857
Preceded by    Wyman B. S. Moor
Succeeded by    Amos Nourse
26th Governor of Maine
In office
January 8, 1857 – February 25, 1857
Preceded by    Samuel Wells
Succeeded by    Joseph H. Williams
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maine's 6th district
In office
March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847
Preceded by    Alfred Marshall
Succeeded by    James S. Wiley
Personal details
Born    August 27, 1809
Paris, Massachusetts (now Maine), U.S.
Died    July 4, 1891 (aged 81)
Bangor, Maine, U.S.
Resting place    Mount Hope Cemetery
Party    Republican (after 1856)
Other political
affiliations    Democratic (before 1856)
Spouses    
Sarah Emery
​
​(m. 1833; died 1855)​
Ellen Emery ​(m. 1856)​
Children    6, including Charles, Cyrus, and Hannibal
Signature    Cursive signature in ink
Military service
Allegiance    United States
Branch/service    Maine State Guard
Years of service    1864
Rank    Corporal
Battles/wars    American Civil War
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican vice president.
As an attorney from Maine, Hamlin began his political career as a Democrat in the Maine House of Representatives before being elected twice to the United States House of Representatives, and then to the United States Senate. With his strong abolitionist views, he left the Democratic Party for the newly formed Republican Party in 1856. In the 1860 general election, Hamlin balanced the successful Republican ticket as a New Englander partnered with the Northwesterner Lincoln. Although not a close friend of the president, he lent loyal support to his key projects such as the Emancipation Proclamation during the American Civil War.
In the 1864 election, Hamlin was replaced as vice-presidential nominee by Andrew Johnson, a Southern Democrat from Tennessee who remained loyal to the union, and chosen for his appeal to Southern Unionists. After being appointed Collector of the Port of Boston, Hamlin was elected to two more terms in the Senate, and finally served as U.S. Minister to Spain before retiring in 1882.