Jason Chaffetz: “I rise today to pay honor and tribute to the life of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President, on the 200th anniversary of…”

“I rise today to pay honor and tribute to the life of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President, on the 200th anniversary of his birth. Born in modest circumstances in Hardin County, Kentucky, this great man went on to have a profound effect on the life and times of this Nation for over two centuries. President Lincoln's service to his country began in 1832 when he served with distinction and was elected to the rank of captain in an Illinois militia company in the Black Hawk War. After completing his military service, he was elected to the State legislature in 1834 where he served the citizens of Sangamon County until 1840. In 1846, President Lincoln moved on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving one term before he decided not to seek reelection and return to the private sector as a lawyer. Spurred by the turmoil that gripped the Nation after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, Mr. Lincoln decided to reenter the public arena, lending his clarion voice to the causes of liberty.”