Professional Life in Illinois Reverse
In 1830, Thomas decided to move the family to Illinois, where he had relatives and where the soil was rich
and productive. Early on, Abraham took a variety of jobs, including piloting a steamboat, but he was beginning
to develop a serious interest in politics. In 1834, he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly, and began
studying the law in earnest. In September 1836, he received a law license and embarked on the career that would
propel him to the White House.
In April 1837, he settled in the new Illinois state capital, Springfield. Here, he met and married Mary
Todd and their first child, Robert Todd Lincoln, was born in August 1843. Lincoln continued to make a name for
himself as a lawyer, and in 1846 he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of the Whig Party.
Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas was up for reelection in 1858, and in June the state Republican convention
nominated Lincoln for the seat. The series of famous Lincoln-Douglas debates took place that fall, and while
he did not win the seat, Lincoln's logic, moral fervor, elegant language and debating skills transformed him
into a national figure. At the 1860 Republican convention, he secured the nomination for President and was
elected that fall.
The approved reverse design for aspect three representing the Illinois phase of Lincoln's life depicts him
as a young professional standing in front of the state capitol building in Springfield. It includes the
inscriptions "United States of America," "E Pluribus Unum" and "One Cent," and was designed by United States Mint
AIP Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.
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