He decided to attempt a career as a lawyer, but rather than going to law school, Lincoln was self-taught. He rigorously studied by reading a large selection of previous legal cases and law books, and in 1836, at the young age of 25, he obtained his law license.
Lincoln as a Young Lawyer. Abraham Lincoln enjoyed a successful legal career in Illinois spanning nearly 25 years. Like most lawyers of his time, he did not attend law school. It was customary to study under established lawyers, but he lived in a rural village and taught himself.
Lincoln made many appearances as a lawyer in front of the Illinois Supreme Court but only one before the United States Supreme Court. In 1849 Lincoln represented Thomas Lewis before the Supreme Court in the case Lewis v Lewis. Lincoln lost the cause and Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote the majority opinion opposing Lincoln.
Between his self-education and full-time work, Abe did still find time to be a teenager. Due to his size and strength, he was more than willing to wrestle and race his peers, and he developed a reputation as a prankster. There was one popular activity, however, that Abe never took a liking to.
Let's review what we've learned about Abraham Lincoln's early life and education. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th American president, from 1861-1865. This ultimate achievement, however, was not necessarily evident in his early years. Lincoln was born in rural Kentucky in 1809 and later moved to Indiana.
He decided to attempt a career as a lawyer, but rather than going to law school, Lincoln was self-taught. He rigorously studied by reading a large selection of previous legal cases and law books, and in 1836, at the young age of 25, he obtained his law license.
On this day in 1839, Abraham Lincoln reached an important milestone in his legal career when the U.S. Circuit Court admitted him to practice law before that tribunal. During his years as a practicing attorney, Lincoln honed oratorical skills that served him well as the nation's beleaguered Civil War president.
John T. StuartIt was customary to study under established lawyers, but he lived in a rural village and taught himself. In 1834 John T. Stuart, a Springfield attorney, encouraged him to study law and lent him the necessary books. Less than three years later Lincoln was admitted to the bar and joined Stuart as a junior partner.
Poverty, farm chores, hard work, and reading by the light of the fireplace dominated young Abe's life until he was seventeen, when he found work on a ferryboat. Enjoying the river, he built a flatboat two years later and ran a load of farm produce down the Mississippi River to New Orleans.
How did Abraham Lincoln become a lawyer? Lincoln went to law school in Illinois to prepare for his debates against Stephen Douglas. Lincoln taught himself how to practice law to prepare for his debates against Stephen Douglas. Lincoln went to law school in the East while serving in the Illinois state legislature.
He had no legal education, and passed the bar exam by judge, not by writted examination. That's how he got a law license. He did not study law in a traditional Inn, or as an apprentice, as was the standard.
Lincoln was self-educated. His formal schooling was intermittent, the aggregate of which may have amounted to less than twelve months. He never attended college, but Lincoln retained a lifelong interest in learning.
Lewis v. LewisAccording to historical records, Lincoln represented approximately 175 cases before the Illinois Supreme Court. In 1849, he argued for Thomas Lewis, the defendant in Lewis v. Lewis, which was his only case tried before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Only four states—California, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington—allow potential law students to skip law school entirely. Three others—Maine, New York, and Wyoming—require some law school experience, but they allow an apprenticeship to substitute for one or two years of law school.
Abraham Lincoln had a rough childhood. His mother died when he was a young boy and his family moved many times. He didn't want to follow in his family's footsteps and become a farmer in Illinois, so he enlisted in the Black Hawk War as a volunteer. This war was a fight to move the Indians westward in the United States.
Young Lincoln Worked the Farm, Had Little Schooling At Knob Creek, the Lincolns lived in a one-room cabin with a dirt floor, much like the one where Abraham was born roughly nine miles away near Hodgenville. Steep, heavily wooded hills rose on each side of the home.
➢ At 6 foot, 4 inches, Abraham Lincoln was the tallest president. ➢ Lincoln was the first president to be born outside of the original thirteen colonies. ➢ Lincoln was the first president to be photographed at his inauguration. John Wilkes Booth (his assassin) can be seen standing close to Lincoln in the picture.