The presidency of Abraham Lincoln began on March 4, 1861, when he was inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States, and ended upon his assassination and death on April 15, 1865, 42 days into his second term. Lincoln took office following the 1860 presidential election, in which he won a plurality of the popular vote in a four-candidate field. Despite Republican success in the presidential election, the party failed to win a majority in either house of Congress.