How tall was Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Height

6ft 3 ¾ (192.4 cm)

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of The United States.
I am, in height, six feet, four inches, nearly....weighing, on average, one hundred and eighty pounds.

How tall is Abraham Lincoln
He was 6 feet 3 ¾ inches in his stocking feet, but he could go over 6 feet 4 if he drew himself up, which he loved to do when challenging another tall man to a measure.
-- Lincoln, 1992
I have a pretty good eye for distances, and I think I can't be mistaken in the fact of the advantage being slightly with you. I measure six feet, three and a half inches, in my stockings, and you go, I think a little beyond that.
-- Abraham Lincoln; the war years, 1939
"When I get all the kinks out, I am six feet four inches."
But according to the measurement taken by artist Frank Carpenter, the President stood six feet, three and three-fourths inches in his stocking feet.
-- Lincoln in photographs, 1963

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Add a Comment115 comments

Average Guess (131 Votes)
6ft 3.86in (192.7cm)
marcus said on 10/Feb/23
Both 57yo Lincoln and 67yo Washington were measured at 6ft 3 3/4in after death. I have heard a dead body gains a little height when it's muscles relax
Andrey200 said on 20/Dec/22
Question is - at what time did he measure 6’4? We can rule out morning, he couldn’t have been 191 range at a low.
Abdul-DK said on 6/Dec/22
192 cm.
Ethan Wolf said on 16/Sep/22
@Rampage(-_-_-)Clover
Actually I just realised the website where I got the data from includes young people only, so he's the equivalant of 6'6"-6'7" and not 6'5"-6'6" like I said before
Ethan Wolf said on 16/Sep/22
@Rampage(-_-_-)Clover
The average US man's height in the president's era ranged from 5'8.3" to 5'7". He was the equivalant of today's 6'5" in his 20s then 6'6" from his 30s to his death (though this is with the average of the whole country and not just one state)
Eric W Tam said on 26/Jul/22
@82H you mean the tallest US president? Because there are a lot of persons (people) taller than Lincoln.
Abdulrahman176 said on 25/May/22
More of a legit 6’4 than Eric trump is
ChristianPerkins said on 22/May/22
@82H
Don't mean to nitpick, but Lincoln entered office in 1861, so that's actually more 160 years. (under 200)
Abdulrahman176 said on 21/May/22
6’4
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 20/May/22
He was the 1800's equivalent of 6ft7-8...
82H said on 25/Apr/22
It’s quite shocking more than 200 years later, Abraham Lincoln still holds the record for the tallest person. Definitely a giant at his time.
Andrey200 said on 19/Apr/22
The first quote seems to suggest 192.4 was his height standing straight, and 193+ perhaps when straining his back and/or breathing in?
Jolapizza said on 23/Mar/22
6'4 was legit giant at the time. Very tall president
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 12/Feb/22
President Abraham Lincoln was born 213 years ago today! 🗽

6ft4. 🎊🎈😁💐🎶
Canson said on 11/Sep/21
@David Tang: I wake up to 6’5” but I’m about 6’4.25” afternoon height maybe a mm over some days. I just claim 6’4” however as the 1/4” over is only marginal for me. If I had to guess, Lincoln was likely just a touch shorter than me. We’re talking half inch or maybe a full 2cm worst case. Not sure if 6’3.5 or .75 was his afternoon height but he looked lanky which would make me guess 6’4 if I hadn’t seen his claim
David Tang said on 19/Aug/21
rob, you do realize busting a gut is legitimate. doctors advocate that you do that when taking a measurement.
Editor Rob
Well Abraham seemed ok with mentioning he was nearly 6ft 4. Maybe he went with that figure as the more precise one, but also claimed 6ft 4 too..
David Tang said on 16/Aug/21
Hey Rob, you know whats funny, he's actually the tallest president we've had so far. just goes to show you how tall 6'4 really is. but how did you get his height of 6'3 3/4? how would you have known he was exactly that tall?. also by the way, that is a cool height actually, "6'3 3/4".
Editor Rob
As the quote in the description says, he had went with "six feet, four inches, nearly"

I suppose if you count busting a gut then 6ft 4 is probably what he would have hit
David Tang said on 6/Aug/21
Hey Canson, just a quick question, how tall are you. im apparently 5'9.5 according to my doctor (afternoon measurement). what about you. i heard your around 6'4-6'5?
Canson said on 4/Aug/21
@David Tang: if 6’3.75 was his afternoon height, he would’ve been around 6’4.5 out of bed. Not sure it was his afternoon though. He also said he’s 6’3 1/2”
David Tang said on 2/Aug/21
6'4 guy. absolutely tall. one of the best presidents ever. rob how tall do you think he woke up to?. i think 194.5 isn't impossible.
Baki2021 said on 11/Jul/21
How tall do you think Kemal Ataturk was Rob? Could you please give him a page too
Ataturk is regarded as one of the most important political leaders of the 20th century. I think he deserves one
Editor Rob
in phots maybe within average range in that era, but I am really not as familiar with Kemal as some world leaders of that era.
Ian C. said on 11/Apr/21
Questions abound as to whether Lincoln was strong or weak. 180 pounds is pretty light for a man who is six foot four, and he had attained that weight only in middle age, and was probably lighter in youth. It may have been that he had very little body fat, which would have meant that he was quite strong despite his low body weight.

He did hard labour when he was young, but so did everybody else, because most people worked in agriculture, without the benefit of farm machinery. He was elected captain by irregular troops as a young man in the Black Hawk Indian War, which suggests that he was strong. His height would have predisposed people who met him to conclude that he was strong, and there can be no doubts of his keen intelligence and personal force. H had a strikingly strong face.

But he looked awkward and unathletic. He had narrow shoulders and too-large feet. I think he had bad teeth (as did just about everybody else in those days), and he suffered terribly from depression. Women did not find him personally attractive, and he was socially awkward in their presence.

He lived for at least an hour after being shot in the head, which suggests strength.

He described himself as an old man when he was in early fifties, but fifty was usually an old man in mid-nineteenth century America.
Ian C. said on 30/Mar/21
Could Lincoln have been acromegalic? His height was exceptional for his era, and he had a lantern jaw. Many of the contemporary accounts of Lincoln speak of his ugliness, so people who met him came away with a sense that his face was deformed.

I have seen some discussions to the effect that Lincoln had marfan syndrome.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 28/Jan/21
⭐ I should add that President Abraham Lincoln wasn't drawn in the face, so maybe he'd have felt uncomfortable at a greater weight. His BMI was - assuming he was 6ft4 - 21.9, which is absolutely healthy. 😁👌🗽🇱🇷
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 27/Jan/21
180 pounds is rather a low weight for a guy of very nearly 6ft4!

I had a friend of 6ft4 and he used to come round to show me his 'Blackadder'. (NO! I'M TALKING VIDEOS!) Anyway, he told me he weighed 17 stone, so I asked to weigh him. He weighed just over 16 and-a-half stone, but admitted he'd been eating a bit less and that a loss was to be expected. He was by no means even remotely plump, so as I said, I think President Lincoln was a bit underfed.

6ft4 🗽🇱🇷
slim 6'1 said on 13/Jan/21
@Canson, user @Animus is also a pretty good estimator 👍
slim 6'1 said on 9/Jan/21
Rising 174 is a pretty reliable source aswell 👍
slim 6'1 said on 9/Jan/21
Greg is a smart guy and definitely a reliable source
slim 6'1 said on 9/Jan/21
Dream is a great estimator but he hasn’t posted in like 6 months now, I liked that guy
Editor Rob
Dream had changed to Hyper.
slim 6'1 said on 9/Jan/21
@ Canson
Arch Stanton hasn’t posted in a while but yeah those are a list of pretty good estimators
slim 6'1 said on 9/Jan/21
If he was near 6’4” he must’ve been 191.5-192cm
ChaosControl 6'2.5 said on 22/Dec/20
I have recently learned he enjoyed wrestling and used his (almost) 6’4 stature and 180lbs physique to gain a physical advantage over his opponents, given that his height and weight were the equivalent of being about 6’8 and 250lbs today
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 9/Dec/20
6ft4 in the 1800’s was like 6ft7
Height_Guesser said on 8/Dec/20
6’ 3.75”. Nothing more nothing less. Very tall. Would be like 6’ 5” today. About the same height as Tom Brady who’s also 6’ 4”
Arch Stanton said on 1/Dec/20
Being virtually a legit 6'4 in 1865 would be like 6 ft 8 today, close to giant range, average height being around 5 ft 6 back then, 10 inches over the average. I'd have loved to have seen Abe in a western with Clint Eastwood, both have that old western look.
Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 26/Oct/20
@Slim
75kg is a good start, especially considering that you're still young so your body hasn't developed fully yet. Make sure to gain weight the healthy way though. Lots of people make a mistake by stuffing their faces in as much junk food as possible, and then getting health problems later on.
Slim 6'1" said on 24/Oct/20
Good news I fattened up and gained some pounds 👍
Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 3/Oct/20
@viper
I was around that weight at my current height at one point, but I was only 19-20 at the time. I defintiely looked on the thiner side physically.
Slim 6'1" said on 2/Oct/20
Robs listing is fine, he admitted himself he’s a weak 6’4”
Slim 6'1" said on 20/Sep/20
195 out of bed
192.5 out of bed
Really strong guy
Rip
viper said on 12/Aug/20
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 7/Mar/20
180lbs at almost 6ft4 is skinny
Jordan87 said on 27/Feb/20


I've gotten down to 180 at 6-3 and I'm definitely not skinny lol
Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 10/Aug/20
@Canson
Then Slim has the nerve to lump me into your feud with WIles, when I have nothing to do with WIles. I love the fact that Slim apologized about our argument in the past though, so I don't wanna go in on him too hard.
Canson said on 9/Aug/20
@Slim: lol why are you sucking up to him like that on every page? And if you read his comments, he isn’t all that brilliant. Just telling the truth. Anyone who has to brag about their IQ etc clearly is overcompensating. You rarely see someone like Greg or Dream or Rampage or Christian or Arch or Rising Force brag about how good they are as an estimator or about their IQ
James roy said on 15/Jun/20
6 feet 3.25 at age 56

Peak height 6 feet 3.75
Alexander17 said on 12/Jun/20
6 ft 3 5/8ths.
I'm 6'3' said on 30/Apr/20
I think Honest Abe was being "Honest" about his height.
VitoCheng said on 28/Mar/20
Lincoln is the tallest U.S. president in history, he is definitely 6'4 "
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 7/Mar/20
180lbs at almost 6ft4 is skinny
Jordan87 said on 27/Feb/20
@ Edwards,

Not a Flat 6'4 since the man admitted he was " nearly 6'4". So He is under it. Jesus Christ, how would you know a man from the 1800's is a flat 6'4" after the man said he was " nearly 6'4". Leave this site lol
Charlie said on 26/Nov/19
Not only "one of" but THE tallest, taller than 6ft 3 LBJ.
edwards said on 13/Nov/19
a flat 6'4 from me to one our greatest ever president.god bless lincoln and god bless murica
Yang (5 footer 8, 173) said on 17/Oct/19
He was one of the tallest USA Presidents so far other than Lyndon Johnson!!!!
Canson said on 5/Aug/19
@Roderick and Rob: he may just be 6’3.5 if “nearly”. Rob is correct in that people say that. I’ve seen guys measure early morning (by the way they look) and claim almost or nearly yet they’re closer to the next Mark down in reality. But Abe looked about 192cm
Roderick said on 5/Aug/19
Um, Rob, why did you list him at 6'3.75" instead of 6'4"? How did we have any photographic evidence that he was any specific height? This was in the 1800s!

I know this isn't really an important listing on CH but maybe you should just give him 6'4"....
Editor Rob
it's based from his own quote "I am, in height, six feet, four inches, nearly"

When people say nearly, usually they have measured a bit under...sometimes also words like 'about' refer to under (or over, but that's rarer).
Jrbowe42 said on 8/Dec/18
@Myself
Seriously? What difference does it make? 6'3.75 or 6'4 flat. Like you, or anyone else really, would be able to notice a 1/4'' difference. I never said it had anything to do with accomplishments.
michael loughrie said on 10/Nov/18
6' 3" 3/4? So now Abraham Lincoln is a big fat liar! He said he is 6' 4", when he really is 6 '3" 3/4??? Oh my god! How ridiculous! Sick of presidents putting a quarter of an inch on their height! Gosh....

This is all sarcasm. He was 6' 4". Most people who say that are 5' 10" are normally 5' 9.5"... its normal to round.
Myself said on 30/Oct/18
@Jrbowe42
That doesn't make any sense. Height doesn't have anything to do with achievements and this is an accurate guessing site, not a heightist one.
Jrbowe42 said on 30/Aug/18
Even if he was a little under 6‘4“ flat, considering what he did for this country, he deserves a 6‘4“ listing
Gracian said on 26/Jul/18
Hi Rob, can I still discuss the height of several American Presidents? Here's my opinion:
Abraham Lincoln 6'3" and 7/8 inch
Donald Trump 6'2.25"
George H W Bush 6'2.25"
Bill Clinton 6'1.75"
Barack Obama 6'1.25"
John F Kennedy 6'0.25"
George W Bush 5'11.25"
Jimmy Carter 5'9.25"
Rob, do you see these numbers as possible?
Editor Rob
They are only a quarter inch above what listed, which means it is always a chance.
Ian C. said on 8/Jul/18
That Lincoln is still the tallest president after more than 150 years is a stark illustration of just how tall six foot four is.

And yeah, he was known professionally as "honest" Abe. But he was a politician. Nobody ever called him Candid Abe. Honesty and candor are two different things, and candor is easily the most dangerous.
MAD SAM said on 19/Jun/18
If he says he’s 6’4” (193 cm) he is 6’4”, I will never doubt this man’s honestly
Tanaka tanaka said on 18/Jun/18
Rob, was the U.S. the tallest nation in the 1700s - 1800s?

Abraham Lincoln 6' 4'' / 1.93 m
Thomas Jefferson 6' 2.5'' / 1.89 m
George Washington 6' 2'' / 1.88 m
Andrew Jackson 6' 1'' / 1.85 m

Average height was 168 - 170 cm in the 1700s - 1800s.
Editor Rob
At one point it would have been one of the taller nations 100-200 years ago. Over last 50 years it has kind of slowed down while other countries averages increased.
Ian555 said on 17/Jun/18
He’s honest Abe which means he’s honest about his height. Definitely 6’4 in his prime.
Junior Hernandez 1990 said on 8/May/18
Lincoln is the Tallest US President ever.
Dream(5'9.5 said on 19/Apr/18
Rob, in your opinion, would you say Lincoln would measure closer to 6’3 7/8ths” than say 6’3 5/8ths?”
Editor Rob
It's hard to ever tell, who can he be compared with? Ultimately the note of him being measured just under 6ft 4 I think is the best figure to go with. 5/8th might be too low, so 3/4 or 7/8th is arguable.
so said on 16/Apr/18
Do you think he'd be honest if he was 5'2 tho ;)
Ethan 6,2.25 said on 4/Apr/18
I think he was a really weak 6,4. I am 6,2.25 and I don't know how tall I am going to be I just turned 16, Abe while 6,4 at his prime he was most likely 6,3.75 during his Presidency.
berta said on 28/Mar/18
we can only takw his words that he was this height. impossible to ever know. almost 193 from his own mouth. He must have been 2 meters if he lived today
Canson said on 17/Mar/18
Rob has him listed close prob not less than 6’3.5
Lkk said on 15/Mar/18
In cms he was 193cm, main real reason he is often said to be or listed as 6'4.
Thunderfin said on 4/Mar/18
"That's why Lincoln was 'Honest Abe', he had no need to inflate such simple matters as the height of his body."

Well yeah, no need to inflate your height when you're 6'3 master race. Totally different story for a 5'11 guy.
Sonnecker said on 29/Jan/18
I subscribe Abe's height!! A real giant for that age, considering statistics he sound be about 205 cm nowaday....
Jake94 (5'9 said on 24/Jan/18
I think LBJ would just edge him out for tallest president. Obviously can't confirm this, but I just get that sense.
Someone said on 19/Jan/18
“Mr. Lincoln's height was six feet three and three-quarter inches ‘in his stocking-feet.’ He stood up one day, at the right of my large canvas, while I marked his exact height upon it.”

from the book Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln: The Story of a Picture
Editor Rob

Thanks for mentioning the book!

It shows pretty much that he was measured at that mark and actually said 'under 6ft 4' as his height.

If all Presidents were honest about height like that...
Bobby said on 18/Jan/18
He gets the full 6'4 from me. Search up his wax figure on google, 6'4 he was.
Editor Rob
Lincoln is an arguable candidate for 6ft 3 ⅞ :)
Myself said on 20/Dec/17
What would you guess his morning and evening heights to have been?
Editor Rob
it's hard to say, would Abe have measured afternoon, morning or evening? he obviously did seem to get a figure just under 6ft 4, so I think he may well have dropped to 6ft 3.5 on a bad day and even out of bed hit 6ft 5 on a good day.
Dreampuffe(5'9.5 said on 18/Dec/17
Rob, just imagine the Rock claiming 6’5” and Honest Abe is raising his eye brow at him! LOOOL! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Editor Rob
never get into politics if you can't get the simple things like height right!

That's why Lincoln was 'Honest Abe', he had no need to inflate such simple matters as the height of his body.
Anonymous said on 7/Dec/17
I think he is 6'6
Slim 185 said on 26/Nov/17
Lmao, he is probably 1 mm under 6’4” and decides to be honest and claim “nearly 6’4”.
Canson said on 26/Nov/17
@Slim185: yea everyone wants to be tall. But really you make the height you are what it is. And it’s not to crush anyone’s dream or desire but it’s more toward people who like to lie or inflate others just to make themselves their goal height
Canson said on 26/Nov/17
192ish. 6’3.5” at his lowest peak
Anonymous said on 9/Nov/17
George Washington was supposedly 6'2
Slim 185 said on 9/Nov/17
6’4” is such a great tall height. 👏🏻 👏🏻

Seriously, do you want to be short? No. do you want to be average? No. do you want to be tall? Yes!!!!!
Slim 184 said on 8/Nov/17
Slothee said on 7/Nov/17
He probably was very close to 6’4”, like 6’3 15/16”, so he just didn’t give himself the full 6’4”. But if that’s the case, he deserves a 6’4” listing
****
Spot on.
Slothee said on 7/Nov/17
He probably was very close to 6’4”, like 6’3 15/16”, so he just didn’t give himself the full 6’4”. But if that’s the case, he deserves a 6’4” listing
Slim 6' said on 22/Oct/17
I wouldent hesitate to give Lincoln the full 6'4".
Peter181cm said on 14/Oct/17
He was huge! ;)
But do know how tall He was?!
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 13/Oct/17
He was a giant by those days standards...
Slim 6' said on 12/Oct/17
Needs a 193 upgrade.
Slim 6' said on 11/Oct/17
193 cm, agree with dreampuffe, Lincoln and JFK were some of the best leaders.
Dreampuffe(5'9.5") said on 5/Oct/17
He’s one of the best presidents.
Jake said on 22/Sep/17
I think he was close to 6'5
Mikey said on 2/Sep/17
Man, you guys have the nerve to short-change honest Abe. Blasphemy, 6'4 on the nose!
Mincer said on 19/Aug/17
He was also known as being a very good wrestler
Sonnecker said on 13/May/17
192-193 cm tall was incredibly tall for a man of his time, when average stature was about 5 inches lower!!
Mark(5'9.25 said on 3/May/17
Rob, how did you manage to get his height correctly like this? This is amazing and I don't think I can guess heights back then.

I think he would have been towering.
Editor Rob
it's the height he claimed to be.
Ian C said on 3/Apr/17
Odd that Lincoln weighed so little. He is said to have had enormous feet, and his head seems large. He was said to have been extremely strong in his youth, but that could be myth-making by his admirers.

Also, why is he so often described as ugly? He has a rough, dignified beauty in all his photographs. Maybe he had bad teeth?
Sam said on 30/Mar/17
To be the modern equivalent to how much taller he was to the average in his day and age, he would be more than 6'7" I would think.
berta said on 7/Feb/17
if he would have lived today he must have been little over 2 meter atleast?
Nova176 said on 4/Feb/17
Funny how he lived in a time where average height was roughly 5'6 and is still the tallest president of all time.
Wiles189 said on 31/Jan/17
All presidents should be 6ft+ IMO
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 30/Jan/17
LBJ looked barely 6ft2 with Kennedy
Wiles189 said on 29/Jan/17
Abraham Lincoln 6'3.5-6'4

Lyndon B. Johnson 6'3.25-6'3.5

Thomas Jefferson 6'2-6'3


These are the 3 tallest presidents
Sandy Cowell said on 24/Jan/17
6ft3.75? That is very tall even today, but back in the day Lincoln was President, it was toweringly tall!
Fantastic piece of information there, by the way!
At less than 13 stone, he was very trim for such a tall man.
James said on 21/Jan/17
He was 6'3.5", half an inch taller than Lyndon Johnson.
heelshealheight said on 5/Jan/17
Wouldn't disagree, here. Moreover, I wouldn't be surprised if he were 6ft5 in his youth ('in his heyday'). Lincoln was a man of great physical as well as political height.
Guyster said on 1/Jan/17
An enormous man every bit of 6'4, as legend has it, there is a picture of him with all the Union Generals, and towers head and shoulders above them all.
James B said on 29/Dec/16
Exact same height as clint Eastwood
6'1 cowboy said on 27/Dec/16
I'm not sure if Abe is almost 6'4. I think he may be claiming his morning height and was probably 6'3. Still very tall 6'3 in his day was like 6'5 or 6'6 now and no one would have questioned if he claimed 6'4.
Realist said on 24/Dec/16
6'4 180 is right for him
Christian-196.2cm (6ft5.25) said on 21/Dec/16
Lyndon B Johnson was reported to be both 6ft3.5 and 6ft4, but he didn't look much over 6ft3.
James said on 18/Dec/16
Johnson was just under 6'3".
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 6/Dec/16
Reports have claimed LBJ as the tallest but with Kennedy did not look like a big 6ft4 guy
184-182 said on 22/Nov/16
What was the average height for a man back in the 1800s? I can't imagine how tall Abe Lincoln was compared to most people back then, with the stovepipe hat adding a few more inches :)
Editor Rob
5ft 6 range.
Mathew Robinson (190 cm) said on 17/Nov/16
He's the tallest elected U.S, president yet, even still over 150 years later.

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