George J. Lehrer as Abraham Lincoln

From the 1940s through the 1960s, Sandusky resident George J. Lehrer toured the United States portraying former President Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lehrer’s tall, thin frame, and his excellent voice made him an ideal Lincoln impersonator. Besides his portrayal of Lincoln, George J. Lehrer also gave other educational, patriotic, and inspirational presentations. When George J. Lehrer presented the Gettysburg Address at Cedar Point on Memorial Day of 1962, all the amusement parks rides were stopped during his performance, in honor of Lehrer’s portrayal of Abraham Lincoln.

In 1906 George J. Lehrer produced a Sandusky High School play entitled “Every Man,” which was performed at the Sandusky Library’s Carnegie Hall. Mr. Lehrer was a charter member of the Actors Equity Association, and a member of the Association of Directors of the Actors Guild. He acted on Broadway, and for a time he was associated with the Lloyd-George Studios, which created stage scenery and costumes. On August 25, 1966, George J. Lehrer passed away at the age of 77. At his death, he was survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter, and nine grandchildren. George J. Lehrer’s father, George T. Lehrer was a former Mayor of Sandusky.