Hannibal Hamlin (1809-1891) was Abraham Lincoln's running mate for the presidential election of 1860. Hamlin and Lincoln did not meet until after the election. Hamlin, a Maine man, won his first political in 1836, when he was elected to the Maine House of Representatives. Over his political career he was a Congressman, a Senator, and a Governor. Our nation's history might be very different if Hamlin had been VP to Lincoln in the 1864 election, but he got bounced from the ticket to make room for Andrew Johnson. That didn't turn out so well. Not sure how good a VP Hamlin was, but you can read about him here. Hamlin's wiki attributes to him this quote about being Vice President: "I am only a fifth wheel of a coach and can do little for my friends." [2]
Bonus historical trivia: The voter turnout rate in 1860 was the second-highest on record (81.2%, second only to 1876, with 81.8%).
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