Staunton Star - Times - Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years

By Tom Emery

A current television commercial for a well-known tequila brand depicts Abraham Lincoln, holding a drink and partying with other past celebrities. In reality, Lincoln had little use for the stuff.

Lincoln rarely drank liquor, and spoke out strongly on the ill effects of alcohol in society. Friends and relatives all marveled at his dislike for drink, from his younger days all the way to the White House.

It was an era when Americans drank freely, and many historians have written that “whiskey flowed like water.” One source reports that Americans drank three times more per capi...