Lincoln was assassinated in the 1865, after his 1864 election, not his 1860 election. People always make little "adjustments" to fit theories.
The Zero factor has to do with when the president was "first" elected. It has nothing to do with when a president was re-elected, so the year of Lincoln's assassination is irrelevant.
I think the theory is that presidents elected in a year ending in zero (as Abraham Lincoln was in 1860) die in office, even if that death does not occur until after a subsequent election. At least that's my understanding. I'm not a proponent of the theory, just trying to clarify. Although it would seem that Reagan disproves it.
It wasn't that the president elected in years ending in zero died in that term. It was just that those presidents elected every 20 years starting with William Henry Harrison, died in office. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died almost four months into his fourth term to which he was elected in 1944. Everyone counts him in the list, because he was also elected in 1940. I am worried about nuts who would try to make that "curse" continue. I was glad when Reagan finished his second term and seemingly break the "curse".
I thought the "course" was on those elected in certain years regardless of whether that was their final election or not. FDR was elected in 40 but did not die until after the 44 election.
Yes, but the "curse" applies - in theory - to people who were merely elected in at least one year ending in 0. Every president who was elected in at least one of his campaigns in a zero-ending year from 1840 to 1960 has died in office.
Harrison - 1840 - illness
Lincoln - 1860 - assassin
Garfield - 1880 - assassin
McKinley - 1900 - assassin
Harding - 1920 - illness
Roosevelt - 1940 - illness
Kennedy - 1960 - assassin
Reagan - 1980 - avoided the assassin and supposedly broke the curse of Tippicanoe as it is called. Of course it's all superstition, but it did hold "true" for 120 years.