On Monday, February 18th, 1861, a frail 98-year-old man stood on a festooned platform in Syracuse, New York, and shook the hand of President-elect Abraham Lincoln. The moment was profoundly moving for Lincoln. As Lincoln shook the hand of Reverend Daniel Waldo, the incoming President understood the historical significance of the handshake. Reverend Waldo is believed to be the only man who voted for both Washington and Lincoln!
Why Was Lincoln In Syracuse?
In February 1861, Abraham Lincoln embarked on a long, arduous, and dangerous trip.
He left Springfield for a roundabout journey by train to
Washington, D.C. The Constitution mandated Lincoln take the oath of office as our new President on March 3rd. In towns large and small in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and down to the District of Columbia, Lincoln’s train stopped so that he could rally support for the Union. As the southern states had announced their “secession” from the United States, Abraham Lincoln’s journey had an unprecedented urgency. “Father Waldo,” as he was called, represented America’s fight for freedom during the revolutionary war and its hope for survival. He was a strong supporter of the Union and Abraham Lincoln.
The Only Man Who Voted For Both Washington And Lincoln
As a 16-year-old in Connecticut, Daniel Waldo joined the local patriots fighting British rule
during the War for Independence. He bravely survived two months as a British POW and continued his service for America. After the war, he attended Yale and became a minister. In that role, he was highly regarded in churches throughout the Northeast. When America held its first presidential election in 1788, 26-year-old Reverend Daniel Waldo proudly cast a vote for George Washington.
Reverend Waldo worked as a minister deep into his 90s. At 94, the United States House of Representatives elected him as their chaplain. He supported Lincoln but worried that Lincoln would not go far enough in punishing the South for their rebellion. He said “… “that the leaders of the rebellion should be dealt with in such a manner that no one would dare, in the future, to repeat the experiment.”
The New York Times reporter who witnessed the historic handshake said:
“Rev. Mr. Waldo, who is so infirm as to be scarcely able to totter, but who, nevertheless,
voted for Washington and Lincoln, was taken from the staging and brought upon the platform of the car, where he shook hands with Mr. Lincoln and came very near being pushed off the car by the crowd of the people.”
Although Father Waldo expressed his wish to live long enough to see the rebellion crushed, Reverend Waldo died just before his 102nd birthday after falling down a flight of stairs on Independence Day.
Seventy-two years had elapsed between the elections of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The handshake between Reverend Waldo and President-elect Lincoln symbolized that America had survived much and would soon face its greatest trial.
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Authors’ Notes.
There were approximately seven known veterans of the Revolutionary War alive at the time of the election of Abraham Lincoln.
It is possible that more than one man voted for both Washington and Lincoln. At the election of George Washington in 1788, a voter could have been born no later than 1767. The youngest possible voter who could have conceivably voted for Washington and Lincoln would have had to be 93 years old in 1860. Reverend Daniel Waldo is the only documented person to have voted for our two greatest presidents. However, it is entirely possible there may have been a handful of others who did so as well.