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/ )
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/ )