Lincoln Lincoln a licensed barber?

[neyankee61]

Just returned from a trivia night and one question was, "Who is the only US President who was a licensed barber? The given answer was A. Lincoln. No where in my readings about Lincoln have I ever found this. Any thoughts on this?

 

[jackt62]

They licensed barbers back in the mid-19th century?

 

[EHParks]

They licensed barbers back in the mid-19th century?

Would you go to a barber nicknamed the Rail-splitter?

 

[FarawayFriend]

I think this was a misunderstanding. Lincoln had not been a licenced barber, but at some point before his career as a lawyer he co-owned a tavern at New Salem, Illinois with a licence to sell alcohol. So he wasn't a licenced barber, but a bartender in a licenced bar, although he himself was a strict teetotaler:

Bartender-In-Chief: Abraham Lincoln Owned A Tavern - The Chicagoist

Bartender-In-Chief: Abraham Lincoln Owned A Tavern

chicagoist.com

Here is the licence:

Abraham Lincoln's Liquor License and Bond print | The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection