Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton

Today, we honor Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

In the summer of 1855, George Harding hired Lincoln to assist him in a patent infringement case because Harding needed an attorney knowledgeable of Illinois law.

At the last moment, the trial was moved from Chicago to Cincinnati, and so Lincoln’s services weren’t needed. Instead of withdrawing from the case though, Lincoln headed to Cincinnati to offer his help. In the meantime, Harding hired Edwin Stanton, a polished lawyer from Ohio.

In Cincinnati, Harding and Stanton were shocked when Lincoln first approached them. He was a “tall, rawly boned, ung...