The Curious Parallels of Lincoln and Kennedy

Even beyond these parallels, their lives share a sense of shared purpose.
Both men were passionate about civil rights and equality.
Both faced fierce opposition.
And both left a legacy that continued shaping America long after their deaths.

Of course, not every claim in the long list of “Lincoln–Kennedy coincidences” holds up to research.
Despite what’s often said, Lincoln never had a secretary named Kennedy.
Kennedy, however, did have a secretary named Lincoln, Evelyn Lincoln, which helped fuel the myth.

Some connections have been polished by time,
others are just the kind of coincidences that naturally occur in history.

Still, even when separated from legend, the pattern is striking.
The symmetry between these two presidencies gives us a glimpse into how human minds search for meaning.
We like to believe that history isn’t random, that events follow a rhythm, even when that rhythm is tragic.
Whether these parallels are coincidence, fate, or simply the echo of recurring themes, they remind us that certain stories repeat for a reason.

Courage, conviction, and compassion never vanish, they reappear, century after century, through new faces and new challenges.

And maybe that’s the most meaningful connection of all.

Every so often, history offers a story that makes us pause. The assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, separated by a full century, are one of those rare moments where fact seems to border on the unbelievable.

The Curious Parallels of Lincoln and Kennedy

From there, the coincidences begin to stack up.
~ Lincoln was elected in 1860
~ Kennedy in 1960

~ Lincoln’s successor was Andrew Johnson, born in 1808
~ Kennedy’s was Lyndon B. Johnson, born in 1908, again, a perfect century apart

~ Both were shot on a Friday, both in the head, and both while seated beside their wives

~ Lincoln was killed in Ford’s Theatre
~ Kennedy was shot in a Lincoln automobile madeby the Ford Motor Company

~ Each assassin is remembered by his full three-part name, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, both names containing fifteen letters

~ Booth fled from a theatre and was caught in a barn used for storage;
~ Oswald shot from a book warehouse and was captured in a theatre, an uncanny reversal of events.
~ Both were killed before they could stand trial

Abraham Lincoln became President in 1860.
Exactly one hundred years later, in 1960, John F. Kennedy took the same office.
Both led the nation through tense, divided times.
Both inspired hope, and both were taken from the world by an assassin’s bullet while still in office.

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