Abram J. (Abram Jesse) Dittenhoefer

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1836, Abram Jesse Dittenhoefer was raised in New York City and built a long career as a lawyer and judge. He became known as an authority on theatrical and copyright law and later served as a justice of the New York City Court.

He was also deeply involved in politics during the rise of the Republican Party. As a young man, he took part in the 1860 campaign and later wrote about those years in How We Elected Lincoln, a personal account that helped preserve memories of Abraham Lincoln and the political world around him.

For audiobook listeners, Dittenhoefer is especially interesting because he writes as someone who was there. His work offers not just history, but the feel of lived experience—part memoir, part political portrait, and part window into American public life in the 19th century.