WI: Abraham Lincoln Becomes Governor of Oregon?

Daaharu

Hey, I've lurked for quite a while, and even posted a couple of times with an old account a couple years ago, but this is my first substantial post here on AH.com.

My what-if for you involves Abraham Lincoln being appointed Governor of the Oregon Territory (or Secretary of the Oregon Territory—despite these being separate positions, the words are used interchangably in the primary sources, and I honestly can't tell if he was offered one or both) by President Taylor following the 1848 election. This was a position which he was offered in OTL, but turned down, as it was a largely Democratic state and would have essentially ended his legal career in Illinois. It's also said that he wanted his friend Simeon Francis to be appointed to the position.

So, under what circumstances would Abraham Lincoln have accepted this appointment? The position was offered to him just after he was passed over for an appointment to be commissioner of the General Land Office.

And what would have happened to his legal and political career had he been Governor of the Oregon Territory for a few years? Butterflies would be very minor initially, I believe, but obviously the changes would become much greater within a decade, as his rise to national prominence would be dramatically altered or, perhaps, aborted entirely.

(These are some of the better sources I've found on the subject:
http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/inside.asp?pageID=28&subjectID=1
http://news.opb.org/article/abraham-lincoln-thanks-no-thanks-oregon-territory/ )
 
Kevin in Indy

Kevin in Indy

Daaharu - welcome (well, kind of)! The only idea I had on the subject was to have Taylor convince Lincoln that if he could stand Oregon for a few years he could come back to the General Land Office. (Of course, with Taylor dying in office, Lincoln's aspirations go out the window.) I assume that Lincoln and his family do not want to stay in Oregon indefinitely, so perhaps he asks Filmore to be replaced.
 

Ganesha

He was quite an ambitious man, so you would need to convince him that his political chances in Illinois are not very good. On the other hand, I don't know how to accomplish that. :eek: Does anyone with more knowledge than me have an idea?

Cheers,
Ganesha

EDIT: Oh, and welcome to the show that never ends! Nice to see a new guy contributing something interesting and substantive right away. It took me ages to get up the courage to actually start a thread.
 

Daaharu

Thank you both! :D

As I understand it, Lincoln's wife was not keen on moving to the Oregon Territory, either, so that's another obstacle to his accepting the appointment...

Do you think he could be convinced by a more direct appeal to either his duty to his country or his ambition? His friends in the Illinois Whig Party were largely responsible for getting the governorship offered to him, so perhaps they tell him that he could do more good for the United States in Oregon than he could do in Illinois? Or they mention that it would improve his chances of getting a position in the national government later on? According to what I read, it didn't seem that they did much to convince Lincoln of the value of the position.

Now, assuming that Lincoln did eventually become Governor of the Oregon Territory, do you think that he'd be able to win over the predominantly Democratic populace and legislature? He carried the state in 1860, so there must be something about him that Oregonians liked.
 

Fiver

Perhaps Lincoln fights the duel with James Shields in 1842. It kills his career in Illinois, but he tries for a new start by going west.
 

False Dmitri

A duel would not necessarily have been as devastating as that. Illinois had very strict anti-dueling laws, yes - to the point where the oath of office for public officials included swearing that you had never fought in one - but it was often overlooked. Governor Bissell of Illinois was widely known to have been in a duel, meaning that when he took his oath in 1857 he committed perjury, but nobody challenged him on it.

Anyway, I think that saying "Lincoln accepted the Oregon position" is just fine as a Point of Divergence. That's what a Point of Divergence is, after all: something happening differently. Say that his friends convinced him, and he convinced Mary, as you suggest. The more interesting question is: what would be the consequences of sending him west? Would he become prominent out there? Territorial governorships normally came with very generous grants of land, as I recall, and officeholders could then re-sell it and make a nice sum of money. Lincoln would put down roots out west, and his stay might get much longer than he or Mary plan on. Or maybe he stays, and she moves back to Illinois... she certainly would if she were unsatisfied enough with the conditions in Oregon. Either way, Lincoln forms financial, social, and political connections in Oregon that are going to last a long time.
 

Daaharu

Benkarnell said:
A duel would not necessarily have been as devastating as that. Illinois had very strict anti-dueling laws, yes - to the point where the oath of office for public officials included swearing that you had never fought in one - but it was often overlooked. Governor Bissell of Illinois was widely known to have been in a duel, meaning that when he took his oath in 1857 he committed perjury, but nobody challenged him on it.

Anyway, I think that saying "Lincoln accepted the Oregon position" is just fine as a Point of Divergence. That's what a Point of Divergence is, after all: something happening differently. Say that his friends convinced him, and he convinced Mary, as you suggest. The more interesting question is: what would be the consequences of sending him west? Would he become prominent out there? Territorial governorships normally came with very generous grants of land, as I recall, and officeholders could then re-sell it and make a nice sum of money. Lincoln would put down roots out west, and his stay might get much longer than he or Mary plan on. Or maybe he stays, and she moves back to Illinois... she certainly would if she were unsatisfied enough with the conditions in Oregon. Either way, Lincoln forms financial, social, and political connections in Oregon that are going to last a long time.
Click to expand...

I'm wondering whether Lincoln could do better than OTL's John Gaines as Governor of Oregon during that time frame. According to Wikipedia, Gaines's entire tenure was marked by fierce partisanship, and opposition to him by both the press and the legislature. Would Lincoln be able to do better? I doubt he could manage to convert Oregon to a Whig stronghold, but, based on the (admittedly superficial) research I've done on the subject, Lincoln certainly seems to have been more capable at forging understanding with political opponents.

The big butterflies, of course, will start appearing in 1853, when Lincoln is replaced by a Democrat. Does he return east, or does he stay in Oregon? And where will his national political career go, now that he has had quite a different experience than he did in OTL?
 

False Dmitri

Daaharu said:
The big butterflies, of course, will start appearing in 1853, when Lincoln is replaced by a Democrat. Does he return east, or does he stay in Oregon? And where will his national political career go, now that he has had quite a different experience than he did in OTL?
Click to expand...

My suggestion is that Lincoln stay in Oregon, where he no doubt has put down political and financial roots, but Mary go back to Illinois. Lincoln would start running for territorial office - delegate to Congress, and so forth.
 
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