Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
Abraham Lincoln ( [ ˈeɪbrəhæm_ˈlIŋkən ] February 12 , 1809 -- April 15 , 1865 ) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865 . Abraham Lincoln , the 16th President of the United States , was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on Good Friday , April 14 , 1865 , while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford 's Theatre in Washington , D.C. , as the American Civil War was drawing to a close .