Lincoln's Northern Nemesis with Martin Gottlieb

Join author Martin Gottlieb to learn more about his book Lincoln's Northern Nemesis. Clement Vallandigham, a former congressman from Dayton and an Ohio opponent of the Civil War and of abolition, was thrown out of the country by Abraham Lincoln because of his political views. As a result of his banishment, Vallandigham became a martyr to his cause and was nominated for governor by the Democratic Party in 1863. He ran the race from exile. The stakes in this colorful campaign were enormous, and Lincoln was highly involved, worrying that a Vallandigham victory would be seen as a rejection of the war by voters. That could have been devastating to the Union cause. It also would likely have made Vallandigham a presidential prospect. This book tells the story of a unique event in American history: a president--significantly, Lincoln--banishing a leading opponent, with that opponent then being nominated by a major party for high office in an important state. Book Signing to follow presentation.

Martin Gottlieb is a retired journalist. He was a columnist and editorial writer for the Dayton Daily News for 27 years. He wrote about local, statewide, national and international events and traveled to 16 countries for the paper. He was perhaps best known for his columns about predicting the outcomes of elections with the system of Professor Allan Lichtman. He eventually wrote a book on that subject called Campaigns Don’t Count: How the Media Get American Politics All Wrong. His column made appearances in at least 100 newspapers. He was honored by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists as Best Columnist in Ohio and Best in Show. He retired in 2011.