Abraham Lincoln wore many hats. According tosurveyhistory.org:
“Abraham Lincoln held many jobs including lawyer, tavern keeper, rail splitter, storekeeper, postmaster and surveyor.”
It seems to be pretty well-known to most Americans that he was a lawyer and, of course, the fact that he was our 16th President. He served in this position from March 4, 1861 through April 15, 1865 and was responsible for the Emancipation Proclamation during that time. He’s one of the reasons we have President’s Day early in the year.
But is everyone aware he was also a Land Surveyor? Those of us in the industry are likely aware of this, but it doesn’t seem to be public knowledge. He started as an assistant, again according to surveyhistory.org:
“His career as a surveyor began in 1833 when John Calhoun, Sangamon County Surveyor (Illinois), offered Lincoln a job as his assistant.”
And while his surveying career only lasted a few years, he was a fast learner and made several great accomplishments. Once again, I refer to surveyhistory.org:
“Lincoln’s career as a surveyor lasted only a few years. His projects included government surveys, road surveys, town lots, and private surveys.”
This year, we celebrate Mr. Lincoln’s birthday on Monday, February 15th, but his true birthday is today, February 12th.
Happy birthday, Abe!
