As you’re being thankful today, you may want to consider tossing a thank-you to President Abraham Lincoln, who proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863.
Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809, and New Jersey has begun preparing to mark the bicentennial of his birth. Last week, Gov. Jon Corzine signed an executive order establishing a temporary commission that will develop ways to pay tribute to the 16th president. It’s looking to develop a year’s worth of commemoration, not just the anniversary of his birth … given that the 17-member panel hasn’t been named yet, and Lincoln’s 200th birthday is 77 days away.
A statue of Lincoln is on display in the Statehouse, which he visited as president-elect in 1861 while in transit to Washington for his inaugural and made speeches to the Legislature.
Maybe New Jersey’s going out of its way as a bit of a make-good nearly 150 years later, since the state voted against him for president in both 1860 and 1864.