Greeneville Mayor Laraine King has signed a proclamation designating Thursday, Feb. 12, as "Abraham Lincoln Day."

Feb. 12 will mark the bicentennial of the birth of the nation's 16th President.

Andrew Johnson, Greeneville's most famous resident, was Lincoln's vice president and became president when Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

The proclamation states that Lincoln "was one of the nation's most prominent leaders, demonstrating true courage during the Civil War, one of the greatest crises in the nation's history."

It also states that the Kentucky native born of humble roots "rose to the Presidency through a legacy of honesty, integrity, intelligence and commitment to the United States."

Also, "with the belief that all men were created equal, Abraham Lincoln led the effort to free all slaves in the United States."

The proclamation notes that Lincoln is connected to Greeneville "as the site of East Tennessee's Union Convention of June 1861 and the hometown of Andrew Johnson -- Civil War Senator and Governor of Tennessee, as well as Lincoln's vice president and successor under the bipartisan National Union Ticket -- whose marriage was officiated by relative Mordecai Lincoln."

Mayor King urges citizens, schools, business, churches and media of Greeneville to use this occasion to preserve Lincoln's legacy.

"All Americans could benefit from studying the life of Abraham Lincoln, for Lincoln's life is a model for accomplishing the 'American Dream' through honesty, integrity, loyalty and a lifetime of education."