He was just 9 when his mother died.
He only received one year of formal education.
At twenty-three he secured a loan to become a partner in a small shop.
At twenty-six his business partner died,
leaving him a huge debt that took years to repay.
At twenty-eight after dating a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him, and she said no.
He decided to have a go at politics.
He tried twice and failed in a big way.
On the third attempt he was elected to Congress,
but failed to be re-elected two years later.
At forty-one his four year old son died.
At forty-five he ran for a seat in the American Senate and lost.
At forty-seven he failed as a vice presidential candidate.
At forty-nine you would have thought he had learned by now -
he ran for the Senate and lost again.
At fifty-one he had still not given up
- and was elected the 16th President of the United States.
His name was Abraham Lincoln,
the man Americans eventually considered to be their greatest leader. |
