The Legacy Behind Honest Abe’s Beard

Back in October of 1860, Abraham Lincoln found himself in the running as a presidential candidate. He received a letter from an 11-year-old girl named, Grace Bedell. The letter read, “I have yet got four brothers and part of them will vote for you any way and if you let your whiskers grow I will try and get the rest of them to vote for you. You would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President.” How profound, a child so young, realized the impact that simply growing a beard would have. Up until his running, Lincoln had been a lawyer, living a clean-shaven life. He was apprehensive at first, thinking “would people call it a piece of silly affectation?” Nevertheless, Honest Abe began to grow his beard, and had a full beard by his 1861 inauguration. Since the growing of the beard, one cannot speak of Abraham Lincoln without mentioning his majestic beard. After all, where would Lincoln be if he would never have been a beardsman!?