Presidential transition of Abraham Lincoln

The presidential transition of Abraham Lincoln began when he won the United States 1860 United States presidential election, becoming the president-elect of the United States, and ended when Lincoln was inaugurated at noon on March 4, 1861.

The secession crisis of 1860–61 began soon after Lincoln became president-elect. This has been widely considered the most difficult crisis that any president-elect has faced during his transition into office. Lincoln spent much of his transition period trying to avert southern secession.

During his transition, President-elect Lincoln selected members of the Cabinet, and attempted to prevent the secession of southern states. Lincoln delivered an emotional farewell address when departing his hometown of Springfield, Illinois for the District of Columbia (the nation's capitol). His travel into the District of Columbia was done covertly to avoid a potential assassination attempt (the Baltimore Plot).