Executive Order

              2006-04
EXECUTIVE ORDER CREATING THE GOVERNOR’S
ILLINOIS ABRAHAM LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION
WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln lived in Illinois from 1830 to 1861, passing during that time from a young adult
to maturity as President of the United States during a critical point in the nation’s history;
WHEREAS, he settled in Macon County in 1830 with his father’s family and in 1831 set out on his own at New
Salem in Menard County on a personal journey that took him from an unskilled laborer, store clerk, postmaster,
surveyor, and self-taught lawyer to a state legislator and the nation’s sixteenth president;
WHEREAS, Lincoln was inspired to enter the national political scene when the 1854 repeal of the Missouri
Compromise threatened to expand slavery;
WHEREAS, he rose to national prominence in 1858 during the Lincoln-Douglas Debates where he appealed to
the common sense and humanity of the people in charting a course for the country’s future that embraced
freedom for all its citizens;
WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln lived, practiced law, married, and raised a family in Springfield from 1837 to his
departure as president-elect to Washington, D. C., on February 11, 186l;
WHEREAS, determining that union could not be maintained by peaceful means, Abraham Lincoln preserved
the United States of America through the crucible of civil war and encouraged re-union “with malice toward
none and charity for all;”
WHEREAS, the martyred president lies at rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, and his exemplary life is
commemorated at numerous private and public historic sites in Illinois;
WHEREAS, there is a national effort underway to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the 1809 birth
of Abraham Lincoln, as historians have consistently regarded him as one of the nation’s most significant
presidents;
WHEREAS, many Illinois historical, tourist, and civic groups are beginning preparations for events and
activities to commemorate the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth;
WHEREAS, it is desirable for the State of Illinois to create a commission to plan and carry out its own
bicentennial tributes to Abraham Lincoln, and to coordinate those activities with the federal government’s
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and other interested parties.
THEREFORE, I, Rod R. Blagojevich, hereby order the following:
I. ESTABLISHMENT
A. There shall be established the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (the
“Commission”).
B. The commission shall be provided assistance and support services by the Office of the Governor,
the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, and other planning
agencies of state government in organizing the bicentennial celebration.
II. MEMBERSHIP