The 16th President of the United States was Abraham LINCOLN, commonly referred to as 'ABE' (3 letters), 'LINCOLN' (7 letters), or 'Linc' (4 letters). He served from 1861 to 1865 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in American history. He is best known for leading the country through the Civil War and issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in Confederate states were free. He was assassinated in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer. His Vice President at the time was Andrew Johnson, who succeeded him after his death.