In the right corner, he’s weighing in at 185 lbs, standing tall at six foot four...known
as the Great Emancipator, the Rail-Splitter, Ancient One, Honest Abe...it’s Abraham Lincoln!
And he’s splitting more than just rails. Today on Nutty History, we’re covering the crazy
impressive and lesser known wrestling career of President Abraham Lincoln. Before we get ready
to rumble, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel to feed your history-mania.
Many images pop into mind when you bring up Honest Abe. While much of that imagery
is probably of as a soft tempered, humble, top-hatted bookworm, he was also a hardcore,
trash-talking, rough and tumble wrestler. And a damn good one at that. According to legend,
Abraham Lincoln boasts a 300 to 1 record across his life’s wrestling career, winning the Sangamon
county wrestling championship and eventually being inducted into the wrestling Hall of Fame.
While his hall of famer status is verified fact, a lot of his grapplin’ days are probably a mixture
of truth and tall tale. Speaking of tall, Lincoln towered over most of his opponents with a frame
of six foot four and a weight of 185 lbs, making him a lean and mean fighting machine. And while
some might expect the famed prez to remain mild mannered in the ring, apparently he knew how to
bring the thunder. After winning a particularly heated match, he supposedly yelled out the crowd,
“I’m the big buck of this lick. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns!”
Much like George Washington and the cherry tree, one of Abe’s tussles has become a famous story of
frontier folklore. When he was a young man living in New Salem, Illinois, Lincoln worked at a small
town general store. Lincoln was more interested in book learning than street smarts, teaching himself
history and law. But his boss, Denton Offutt, found Lincoln’s 6’4” stature more impressive,
supposedly bragging about the strength of his young employ all about town. Word eventually
reached the town bully, which I guess was a thing when your town only consists of about 20 families.
The bad, Jack Armstrong, baddest man in the whole damn town, was leader of New Salem’s
Clary’s Grove Boys. Supposedly this gang of miscreants would “prank” any new settler in town
by forcing them into a barrel, nailing it shut, and rolling it down a hill. Some people just
can’t take a joke. Upon hearing the boasts about lanky Lincoln, Armstrong challenged him to a duel.
Though rumor has it he initially refused, the peer pressure eventually got to Lincoln and he agreed
to the match. After all, what else were these people supposed to do for fun in the middle of the
prairie? The fight was set, a crowd gathered, and bets were placed. Lincoln’s boss even allegedly
bet $10 on him winning, which would be about $300 today. No pressure! Abe Lincoln had insisted on a
match of side holds wrestling. This meant that the aim was not to pin your opponent but to literally
throw them. Ouch. The two men began to circle each other - let the games begin!
There are several varying accounts of what actually went down that day. In one version,
Armstrong tried to trip Lincoln, who then went into rage and shook his opponent by the neck.
Conversely, he knocked him out cold. Another popularized part of the story is that the rest
of the Clary’s Grove Boys jumped into the ring when they saw their leader’s impending defeat.
Lincoln instead offered to fight them each individually, and Armstrong, apparently impressed
by his opponent’s valor, admitted his loss. The two then became the best of friends and all
lived happily ever after. That might sound like it wrapped with too neat of a bow to be factual,
but it is true that Lincoln later defended Jack Armstrong’s son in a murder trial
free of charge. The defendant was found not guilty after Lincoln
disproved witness testimony based on moon phases in a very Legally Blonde moment.
How does a person’s wrestling capabilities relate to their potential as president?
No, that wasn’t rhetorical, I’m genuinely curious...Because apparently it mattered
to 19th century voters. Abe’s grappling career was first mentioned in the 1858 Senate race.
Lincoln’s opponent, Stephen Douglas, actually brought it up, referring to his time wrestling as
an “amusing passage,” and saying “he could beat any of the boys at wrestling.” These somewhat
positive comments about his rival later came back to bite Douglas in the 1860 presidential election.
Lincoln was again running against Douglas, this time for all the marbles,
and his supporters used his image as a wrestler to promote him as a sporty and athletic frontier man.
To voters of the time, it was important to see their presidents had courage and spirit,
and the whole throwing other grown men to the ground schtick probably checked these
boxes. The free-for-all style wrestling Lincoln practiced was also growing popular at the time
in fairs and festivals across the frontier, which added to Lincoln’s image as rugged hometown hero.
Regardless of how much weight was put on his wrestling, this match went to Lincoln,
and he became the 16th President of the United States. Oh yeah!
Even the best fall down sometimes. Or should we say, get picked up and thrown sometimes.
Despite his reigning champ status, Abe did have one blip on his mostly undefeated record,
while he was a member of the Illinois Volunteers during the Black Hawk War of 1832. He wrestled a
soldier in another unit named Hank Thompson in a regimental championship and was thrown
to the ground, possibly twice in a row. Yikes. Like any great athlete, though, Abe’s ability to
lose was another important part of his popular reputation. As historian David Fleming put it,
“He was a proud competitor but a humble sportsman. And when his wrestling skills diminished,
Lincoln’s leadership qualities emerged.” Perhaps there is some truth to leading and wrestling going
hand in hand, as there’s quite a few who join Lincoln in the Presidents Who Wrestle Club.
George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft are honored next to
Lincoln in the Outstanding American wing of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
While sadly we can’t see the outcome of this theoretical bracket,
we’re putting our money on Abe as the top dog. But let us know in the comments which POTUS you
think would emerge victorious, along with other nutty history you’d like to hear about next!