As the Hannibal Courier-Post goes on to report, Valentine Tapley (pictured) grew an impressive beard starting at a young age. He reportedly had a six-foot-long beard even before he vowed to never shave again should Lincoln get elected. Spurring Tapley on, he entered an 1860 beard-growing competition with another man, Elijah K. Gates, though Gates' commitment to beard growth has no known political connotation, as the Hannibal Courier-Post relates.
Even after the reelection of Lincoln and his subsequent assassination in 1865, Tapley stuck to his commitment to let his beard grow (via The White House's website). As a result, Tapley's beard reached a record-setting length of more than 12 feet, according to Missouri Life. In fact, Tapley became so famous for this feature that he was offered money to go on tour in England, but he ultimately declined. By 1907, a man named Sam Brinkley boasted the world's longest beard at a bit more than five feet, but Tapley fans knew the truth: He had Brinkley beat by more than six inches (via NCPedia).
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