President Abraham Lincoln was shot on the evening of April 14 one hundred and forty-five years ago. He died early in the morning on the following day. Among the items found on his desk after his untimely demise was the certificate proclaiming Alvin Saunders territorial governor for Nebraska. The document, on exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln, may be evidence of one of the last pieces of business the doomed president transacted. Just less than two years later, Nebraska would become a state, and its new capitol would be named in honor of the slain president.
Black and white photograph of Alvin Saunders, who served as Nebraska Territorial Governor from 1861-1867.
