Lincoln died in retirement (4)
I believe the answer is:
abed
'in retirement' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'lincoln died' is the wordplay.
'lincoln' becomes 'abe' (I've seen this in another clue).
'died' becomes 'd' (abbreviation next to the year of someone's death).
'abe'+'d'='ABED'
(Other definitions for abed that I've seen before include "sleeping? Apparently" , "in his hammock awaiting Santa?" , "in a comfortable position" , "at rest" , "Lying between the sheets" .)