Abraham Lincoln and McKendree
By Dr. Brian Frederking, Class of 1990
Title photo of Abraham Lincoln from Common American Journal
McKendree University will be 200 years old in 2028. One amazing part of its illustrious and resilient history is the many interactions between early McKendree figures and the great Abraham Lincoln. The cause of abolitionism symbiotically forged the trajectories of the young Methodist college and the future United States president. In ways large and small, McKendreans were part of Lincoln’s life – as religious inspirations, political opponents, biographers, wartime emissaries, coworkers, bodyguards and confidantes to the American hero.
The relationship between McKendree and Lincoln began in 1832 when Lincoln was a 23-year-old store clerk and rail splitter who ran for the state legisl...