When did Lincoln become president?

Stephen A. Douglas was the name of the candidate defeated by Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential race. Nicknamed the "Little Giant", Douglas was short in stature but had a large head and shoulders.
     It was only two years prior to the 1860 contest that Douglas defeated Lincoln in the Illinois senatorial race. During this campaign, The Lincoln-Douglas debates were popular throughout the whole country.
     One reason Douglas was defeated in his bid for the presidency was the stand he took on the question of slavery. Southern Democrats, angry over his position, voted almost solidly for Lincoln.
     Soon after the election of Lincoln in 1860, the Civil War began. Although Douglas had offered his services to the new president, he died from typhoid fever shortly after the beginning of the War.