Assassination of Abraham Lincoln: Date & History

When Is the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Anniversary? (2026–2031)

Assassination of Abraham Lincoln — Date, History & Current Status Explained

President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on the evening of April 14, 1865, and died the next morning. April 14 is not an official U.S. public holiday; federal, state, and local offices remain open.

April 14 falls on a different day of the week each year. It is a fixed calendar date, not a federal holiday, so government offices, banks, schools, and post offices operate on their normal hours every year in the table above.

The Night at Ford’s Theatre — April 14, 1865

By April 1865, the Civil War was ending. Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, five days before the assassination. On the evening of April 14, President Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln attended a performance of the comedy “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre, seated in the state box with Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancée, Clara Harris.

Around 10:15 p.m., John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and Confederate sympathizer, entered the unguarded state box and shot Lincoln once in the back of the head with a single-shot derringer pistol. Rathbone struggled with Booth, who slashed him with a knife before leaping to the stage, breaking a bone in his leg on landing. Booth escaped through the back of the theater on horseback. A detailed account of the shooting and the events that followed is preserved by the Library of Congress.

A Coordinated Conspiracy: The Attack on Secretary Seward

Booth’s plot was not limited to Lincoln. At nearly the same moment, co-conspirator Lewis Powell forced his way into the Lafayette Square home of Secretary of State William H. Seward, who was recovering from a carriage accident, and stabbed him multiple times. Seward survived the attack. A third conspirator, George Atzerodt, was assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson at his hotel that same night but lost his nerve and never carried out the attempt.

Lincoln’s Death and the Manhunt for Booth

Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen House, a boarding house, where doctors determined his wound was fatal. He died at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865, becoming the first U.S. president to be assassinated. Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as president that same day.

A twelve-day manhunt followed. Booth and accomplice David Herold fled into rural Maryland and Virginia. On April 26, 1865, Union soldiers cornered Booth in a tobacco barn near Port Royal, Virginia; he was shot and died a few hours later. Eight other conspirators were tried by a military commission that summer, and four were hanged on July 7, 1865.

Legacy and Commemoration Today

Lincoln’s funeral train carried his body roughly 1,700 miles from Washington, D.C., through cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago before his burial in Springfield, Illinois, on May 4, 1865. Millions of Americans viewed the procession along the route.

Ford’s Theatre closed to the public after the assassination and was later used for government storage before it was restored. It now operates as Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, managed by the National Park Service in partnership with the Ford’s Theatre Society. The site, along with the Petersen House across the street, remains open to visitors and hosts educational programming around April 14 and 15 each year, though these events are commemorative, not government-mandated closures.

Why Isn’t This Date a Federal Holiday?

The United States designates federal holidays through an act of Congress, and no such act covers April 14. Lincoln is instead honored indirectly: his birthday, February 12, is a state holiday in a handful of states, and Presidents’ Day in February recognizes all U.S. presidents collectively, including Lincoln and George Washington. Several states, including Illinois, closed some state offices on Lincoln’s birthday for decades, but April 14 itself has never carried that status at any level of government. Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House mark the date with ranger-led programs and exhibits rather than closures, keeping the day educational rather than a day off.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Q: Is April 14 a federal holiday in the United States?
A: No, April 14 is not a federal holiday. Government offices, schools, and banks remain open on the anniversary of the assassination.

Q: What time was Lincoln shot?
A: John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln around 10:15 p.m. on April 14, 1865, during a performance at Ford’s Theatre.

Q: Where did Lincoln die?
A: Lincoln died at the Petersen House, a boarding house across the street from Ford’s Theatre, at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865.

Q: Who else was attacked the same night as Lincoln?
A: Secretary of State William H. Seward was stabbed by conspirator Lewis Powell in a related attack; Seward survived his injuries.

Q: When was John Wilkes Booth caught?
A: Booth was tracked to a barn in Virginia and killed on April 26, 1865, twelve days after the assassination.

Q: Where is Abraham Lincoln buried?
A: Lincoln is buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, following a funeral procession that stopped in several major cities.

Q: Can visitors still tour Ford’s Theatre?
A: Yes. Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House operate as a National Historic Site and are open to visitors for most of the year.

Related Holidays & Calendars

For the full April 2028 calendar with holidays and observances, see the April 2028 calendar.