Abraham Lincoln
American
US President. A great and profound orator, he is hailed by many as the savior of the American Union, the liberator of its slaves, and among the wisest and most charitable of its presidents. Others question his unlawful suspension of the Constitution, the use of military force against secession (something that is mostly condemned in contemporary global politics - see Bosnia, Quebec, Czechoslovakia, etc.), and the deliberate policy of destroying civilian property including food stocks. There is general agreement that reconciliation after the war was greatly set back by his assassination.