Hannibal Hamlin served as Abraham Lincoln's Vice President during the first term of Lincoln's presidency. Because of his close ties with the controversial Radical Republicans, however, who believed freed slaves deserved political and social equality with all other citizens, Lincoln chose to drop him from the Republican ticket in 1864 and replace him with Andrew Johnson, a Southerner and member of the Democratic Party. Lincoln won re-election but was assassinated shortly after his inauguration and Johnson became President.