| − | '''Hannibal Hamlin''' was [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s first [[vice president]]. He was formerly a Senator from (West) Virginia. Abraham Lincoln later rejected him as a vice president because he wanted a southerner as his running mate for the 1864 election.<ref>[[Fandex]], Workman Publishing, 2002.</ref> He was also a [[governor]] and United States [[Senator]] from [[Maine]].<ref>[https://www.nga.org/governor/hannibal-hamlin/ Gov. Hannibal Hamlin]. ''National Governors Association''. Retrieved August 20, 2021.</ref> | + | '''Hannibal Hamlin''' was [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s first [[vice president]]. He was formerly a Senator from (West) Virginia. Abraham Lincoln later rejected him as a vice president because he wanted a southerner as his running mate for the 1864 election.<ref>[[Fandex]], Workman Publishing, 2002.</ref> He was also a [[governor]] and United States [[Senator]] from [[Maine]].<ref name=ngaprofile>[https://www.nga.org/governor/hannibal-hamlin/ Gov. Hannibal Hamlin]. ''National Governors Association''. Retrieved August 20, 2021.</ref> |
| | + | Hamlin ran for U.S. Senate in 1941 as a Jacksonian Democrat, though very narrowly lost. Although a member of the [[Democratic Party]] during this period, he was largely a nominal figure, as he consistently opposed [[slavery]]. He was appointed to the Senate in 1848, and won re-election in 1850 and 1856. In the latter election cycle, Hamlin switched party allegiance to join the newly-formed [[Republican Party]] represented [[abolitionists]] like himself.<ref name=ngaprofile/> |