“Fellow citizens, I presume you all know who I am…I am humble Abraham Lincoln,” said the future President in a bid for election to the State Legislature of New Salem, Illinois. “I have been solicited by many friends to become a candidate for the legislature. My policies are short and sweet, like the old woman’s dance. I am in favor of a National Bank, I am in favor of the Internal improvement system, and a high protective tariff. These are my sentiments and political principles. If elected I shall be thankful; and if not, it will be all the same.”
 
Lincoln was NOT elected, and things…at least at the New Salem post office…would never be the same either.
 
With the election over and no job, Lincoln looked for other opportunities. He had an ill-fated experience as a business owner before finding a home with the U.S. Postal Service. Lincoln was appointed Postmaster of New Salem on May 7, 1833.
 
It is not known for certain how or why Lincoln – who had no postal or special affinity for mail delivery experience – was named to the position. One scenario speculates that the women of New Salem were irate because former Postmaster (and general store owner) Samuel Hill spent more time serving whisky than he did attending to the mail.
 
According to the story, the women lobbied their husbands to oust Hill and install Lincoln.
 
Soon to be known for his honesty, as Postmaster, Lincoln was known for his helpfulness. He was always willing to please customers and would go out of his way to do so. For example, when he knew that someone was waiting for an important letter, he would personally walk several miles to deliver it.
 
This job was not a confining one and Lincoln supplemented his post office income with odd jobs such as splitting rails, harvesting crops, helping at the mill, and tending store in New Salem. Always aware of his role as Postmaster, if Lincoln had plans to survey a piece of land in the country, he would deliver the mail to the people along the route.
 
Lincoln continued as Postmaster General in New Salem until 1836 when the post office was relocated to Petersburg.