BANGOR — As Wednesday marked one of the most historic moments in American history, a local man who was sworn in as the 15th vice president of the United States also should be acknowleged.
According to a Husson University history professor, Hannibal Hamlin was the first Republican vice president who opposed slavery.
Hamlin was born in Paris, Maine, and has been the only vice president from the state.
“We are standing in front of a statue of a man who was Vice President for the issued Emancipation of Proclamation, something that he urged during Lincoln’s administration. Lincoln served the first draft with him, and he’s also a long time senator. He would love the fact that there’s a Senator who is now President,” said David Haus, a Husson University history professor.
Haus said Hamlin died in Bangor in 1861.
