The attached article appeared in Gentry Magazine in 1956 and concerns a surviving sample of the creative writing efforts of Abraham Lincoln. Ronald Reagan was the first actor to become president, Buchanan the first tailor, Jefferson the first architect; but Lincoln was the first writer to move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue:
"The world has long known that Lincoln liked an occasional back-room story. Here is the only record - in his own handwriting - of that earthy side of the Great Emancipator."
Historian Henry Steele Commager ranked Lincoln at number 11 insofar as his impact on the cultural mindset of the United States...
The conduct of the war contributed mightily to Lincoln's rapidly aging appearance. Look at this photo-essay examining his facial decay year by hear: click here.