Lincoln's new year celebrations evolved over time

By Tom Emery

During much of Abraham Lincoln’s lifetime, the New Year’s holiday was a bigger deal than Christmas. His celebrations of January 1 evolved with his rise to fame.

As a young backwoodsman, Lincoln did little to ring in the new year, and as he grew to prominence in Springfield, he often worked on January 1. As President, however, he was part of a big celebration, as the annual New Year’s reception was a major event on the White House calendar.

New Year’s Day in 1863, however, was a defining moment in the Lincoln Presidency, as the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. “He saved the Union with that,” said Dr. Wayne Temple, a nationally renowned Lincoln scholar from Springfield, Ill. “The Emancipation was one of the greatest achievements of his Presidency, without question.”

While New Year’s Day was a significant holiday in the Lincoln White House, he would have paid little attention in his early years. “Lincoln was very patriotic, and worshipped the founders and the Constitution,” remarked Temple. “I think the patriotic holidays would have meant more to him than Christmas or New Year’s.”

Lincoln’s activities on New Year’s Day are unknown before 1835. That year, he spent the day in the state capital of Vandalia in his first term in the state legislature. The assembly was in session on January 1, a common practice of the time.

He settled in Springfield in 1837, and January 1 often remained a working holiday. After his fourth and final term in the legislature, Lincoln sometimes spent New Year’s Days in his Springfield law office. During his Congressional term from 1847-49, Lincoln was in Washington, where January 1 was also spent working.

Sometimes, he took a little time for shopping. In Springfield on New Year’s Day in 1852, Lincoln bought $2.81 in goods from a local merchant. On Jan. 1, 1855, he purchased several small notebooks that he used to keep notes on state politics.

As President-elect on Jan. 1, 1861, Lincoln received a steady stream of visitors at his Springfield home. One, however, showed no inclination of leaving. Lincoln then persuaded several young men to get rid of the rude guest.

On his first New Year’s Day as President in 1862, Lincoln and his wife Mary received guests at the Executive Mansion for three hours, starting at 11 a.m. In that era, the New Year’s reception was a symbolic date on the White House calendar, as the President welcomed both dignitaries and the general public.

Cabinet members and their families were the first to arrive, followed by diplomats, Supreme Court justices, and military officers. The public was then allowed inside at noon.

Only part of the day was devoted to pageantry. That evening, the President wrote to three of his top generals on war matters.

“I think with the war going on, his mind was occupied with that more than anything else,” said Temple. “He had so many obligations, and so many demands on him. He tried to be cheerful, especially around his children. But so much was weighing on him.”

The New Year’s reception in 1865 nearly got out of hand. A Washington newspaper reported that the “handsome carpets” of the White House were covered with “canvas” to prevent them from “being soiled by the mud and dirt.”

Outside, the enthusiastic crowd “pressed so determinedly to gain admittance that several ladies and children were nearly suffocated, and in some instances ladies and children were raised about the crowd…to shield them from the pressure.”

The holiday in 1863, however, was a momentous day with the coming of the Emancipation. Lincoln signed an official copy of the Proclamation at noon, during a break from the annual reception.

Recognizing the importance of the moment, Lincoln’s hand was reportedly shaking as he was about to sign the document. “His hand was swollen, too, from the reception,” remarked Temple. “He had to shake so many hands, and many men like to squeeze hard on a handshake. I’m sure that many of the men in line squeezed Lincoln’s hand pretty well.

“But Lincoln was also emotionally moved by the moment of the signing,” commented Temple. “A monumental occasion like that would be enough to make anyone nervous.”

Lincoln was in a cheerful mood at the reception, likely due to the Emancipation. A Washington newspaper reported that he “looked well…was never nearer gay or buoyant.”

Following the reception, Lincoln ventured to the War Department telegraph office, where he sat, put his feet on a table, and engaged in relaxed conversation. It was a rare moment of frivolity for Lincoln on one of the few major holidays on the calendar at the time.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or [email protected].