Wigwam Warriors:
The Men Who Won Chicago
- Relationship to Lincoln: Friend, Worked in same Circuit
- Occupation in 1860: Judge, Eighth Judicial Circuit of Illinois
- Age at the Convention: 45
- Home: Pekin, IL (Born in Cecil County, MD)
- Facts: Lincoln-appointed Supreme Court Justice (1862-1876), Opposed Lincoln's suspension of civil liberties during Civil War
The four men pictured below were not the only people lobbying, acting, and scheming on Abraham Lincoln's behalf during the Republican National Convention of 1860. Men like George W. Lawrence, John Wentworth (Mayor of Chicago), Henry Smith Lane (Senator and Governor of Indiana), and Edward L. Baker (Editor of Illinois State Journal) also tirelessly worked and procured votes for Lincoln. And the list of Lincoln delegates doesn't end there. This site, however, is dedicated to Lincoln's "Wigwam Warriors," the four men pictured below who I think primary and secondary resources point to being the MOST responsible for Lincoln's surprising victory in Chicago. Without these "warriors" who dogedly worked to get Lincoln elected, there would likely never be a Lincoln Administration.
Lincoln's Team in Chicago (May 16-18, 1860)​
- Relationship to Lincoln: Chairman, Republican State Central Committee (1856-1861), Friend
- Occupation in 1860: Illinois State Senator (1844-1860), Attorney
- Age at the Convention: 45
- Home: Chicago, IL (Born in Rome, NY)
- Facts: Lincoln-appointed Minister to Prussia, Was a devoted democrat until 1854 - broke away after Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Relationship to Lincoln: Public Supporter of Lincoln, Colleague
- Occupation in 1860: Editor and Co-Owner, Chicago Tribune
- Age at the Convention: 37
- Home: Chicago, IL (Born near Saint John New Brunswick, Canada)
- Facts: Chicago Mayor (1871-1873), Created Chicago's First Public Library
- Relationship to Lincoln: Friend, Law Partner
- Occupation in 1860: Attorney
- Age at the Convention: 34
- Home: Bloomington, IL (Born in Turner, ME)
- Facts: Volunteered in Indiana 5th Regiment during Mexican-American War, Lost to Richard Yates for Republican Nomination for Governor of Illinois (1860)
Click on Images/Names of Figures Below to Learn More About Lincoln "Warriors"
Excerpts from Michael Burlingame's "Make No Contracts"
A majority of base research originated from sites produced by the Lehrman Institute and The Lincoln Institute, such as "Mr. Lincoln & Friends."