As human beings, our brains function as pattern-seeking machines. Look long and hard enough, and patterns will begin to emerge everywhere. However, what are we to make of coincidences that stack up to the point of being spooky? Take two of the United States’ most beloved presidents, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. While the two men lived in very different times, the number of Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences that connect the two presidents is simply stunning.
Besides being two presidents who were famously assassinated, there are a host of other connections between the two men that defy logic and beg the question of synchronicity. Whether a simple case of probability, the similar trajectories of American politicians who became president, or some kind of cosmic wink, there’s enough shared between the two men that begs strange, thought-provoking questions. In this article, we will explore the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences. Some of the connections between the two presidents will stun you into asking what else can be connected with a little digging.
To compile the connections and Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of entertainment, history, and political sources, including Snopes and USAToday. Next, we parsed out the coincidences that are verified versus the ones that are uncertain or disproven. After that, we confirmed aspects of the facts using sites like the JFK Library and Britannica. (For presidents in their golden years, click here for the oldest presidents in U.S. history.)
Elections
Some of the most stunning Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences concern the timelines of their respective elections to political offices. Before they reached the presidency, both men were elected to Congress in a ’46 year. Abraham Lincoln entered Congress as the Illinois representative in 1846. Meanwhile, John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress as the representative from Massachusetts in 1946.
Ascent to president
That isn’t the only election coincidence, however. After successfully serving as congressmen, both men were elected to the presidency in a ’60 year. Lincoln became commander-in-chief upon his election in 1860. Kennedy reached the office of the presidency after being elected in 1960.
Civil rights
Perhaps more than any two presidents, Lincoln and Kennedy put civil rights and the rights of the marginalized at the forefront of their times as presidents.
Lincoln, encumbered by the growing tension of slavery and subsequently the Civil War, felt that all slaves should be freed. As such, he issued the famous Emancipation Proclamation, which legally freed slaves within the Confederacy, even if it was next to impossible to enforce.
Race issues continue
As for Kennedy, he became president during a time of great racial disharmony. Concerned with equality for all citizens, he was the first politician to propose a change. That change would take shape as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Like Lincoln’s legislation, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was great on paper but often required the National Guard to enforce it in Southern states.
Marriage
Title: Lincoln and his family / painted by S.B. Waugh ; engraved by William Sartain. Creator(s): Sartain, William, 1843-1924, engraver Related Names: Waugh, Samuel Bell , artist Bradley & Company , publisher Date Created/Published: Philadelphia : Published by Bradley & Co. 66 N. Fourth St., c1866 ( Printed by Irwin & Sartain) Medium: 1 print : mezzotint. Summary: Print showing Abraham Lincoln, full-length portrait, sitting in chair at the left end of a table with Thomas sitting next to him, Mary Todd is sitting on the right, and Robert Todd is standing behind the table. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-pga-03267 (digital file from original print) LC-DIG-pga-02643 (digital file from original print, signed proof) LC-USZ62-5459 (b&w film copy neg. of signed proof) Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. Call Number: PGA - Sartain (W.)--Lincoln and his family (D size) [P&P] PGA - Sartain (W.)--Lincoln and his...
While Lincoln and Kennedy were born on different dates, as were their wives, there is a throughline regarding the age ranges. Lincoln married Mary Anne Todd on Nov. 4, 1842. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier on Sept. 12, 1953.
Though Lincoln was 33 years old at the time of his marriage, his wife was 23 years old. Kennedy, on the other hand, was 36 years old at the time of his marriage, while his wife was 24 years old. That means both men married women at least a decade younger than themselves.
Loss of children
What’s more, both Lincoln and Kennedy lost children while they served in the White House. Lincoln had four children before entering the Oval Office. While president, he and his wife lost two boys. His son Edward died of tuberculosis in 1850, just shy of his 4th birthday. His son Willie died of typhoid in Lincoln’s first year in office. As for Kennedy and Jackie, in August 1963, their 2-day-old son died due to complications of birth.
Successors
After Lincoln was assassinated, Andrew Johnson from Tennessee succeeded him. After Kennedy was assassinated, Lyndon B. Johnson from Texas took over. Their successors both being Southern is not the only connection, however.
100-year coincidences continue
Besides having the last name Johnson, both successors were born in similar year endings. While Andrew Johnson was born on Dec. 29, 1808, Lyndon B. Johnson was born on Aug. 27, 1908. This means both successors were born in years ending in ’08.
Security personnel
Though this Lincoln-Kennedy coincidence may seem like a stretch, it is still worth exploring. Both Lincoln and Kennedy had security or Secret Service agents named William. For Lincoln, it was William H. Crook. For Kennedy, it was William Greer. What’s eerie is the similar timelines of their respective deaths.
Death timelines
Crook was born on Oct. 15, 1839, and died on March 13, 1915. As for Kennedy’s agent, Greer was born on Sept. 22, 1909, and died on Feb. 23, 1985. This means both men died within 48 hours of reaching the age of 75 years and 5 months old.
Names, dates, and numbers
The fact that Lincoln and Kennedy died from a gunshot wound to the head is not the only Lincoln-Kennedy coincidence. Besides this, both were killed on a Friday. John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln on Good Friday, April 14, 1865. Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963.
Seven-letter names
Beyond that, however, the coincidences get even weirder. While Lincoln and Kennedy seem like very different names, there is a subtle connection between the two. Both Lincoln and Kennedy are names composed of seven letters each. This echoes the connection between their respective assassins’ names as well.
Assassins
As mentioned above, the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences extend beyond the two men. While both assassins are known by their three names, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, this is not as uncommon as you might think. Often, high-profile assassins are referred to by their full names, like John Lennon’s assassin, Mark David Chapman. The press portrays them this way to not tarnish other innocent people who might share their names.
What is interesting, however, is the number of letters in each assassin’s name. Much like Lincoln and Kennedy sharing seven letters to their name, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald are names comprised of 15 letters each. The coincidences extending to their assassins don’t stop there, however.
Both John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald committed their murders at their place of employment. Booth was a well-known actor employed at Ford’s Theater, where he shot Lincoln. Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy at the Texas School Book Depository where he worked.
Dead before trials
What’s more, both assassins met an untimely end not long after committing their crimes. Indeed, the two were killed before they could be brought to trial and within the same month as the assassinations. Sgt. Boston Corbett killed Booth after Booth refused to surrender on April 26, 1865. That’s less than two weeks from the day he shot Lincoln. As for Oswald, he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby while being transferred to county jail on Nov. 24, 1963. That’s only two days after he assassinated Kennedy.
False/uncertain coincidences
Since the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences have taken root in the public imagination, some purported facts were later proven false. While Kennedy did have a secretary named Lincoln, Lincoln did not have a secretary named Kennedy. His secretaries were John. G. Nicolay and John M. Hay.
Another false “fact”: It’s said that both John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald were Southerners. Only Oswald was Southern, having been born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Booth, however, while a strong Southern/Confederate sympathizer, was born in the Union state of Maryland.
Another juicy coincidence that proved untrue concerned the geographical trajectories of both assassins. It’s said that Booth committed his crime in a theater before fleeing to a warehouse, while Oswald committed his crime in a warehouse before fleeing to a theater. While the Oswald trajectory is true as he fled to a movie theatre, Booth fled to a barn, not a warehouse. (For other fun facts about the commander-in-chief, discover the most surprising facts about each U.S. president.)