1. family and parenting
2. children

ROBERT TODD LINCOLN
His Father's Son
Letters from the Robert Todd Lincoln Collection of
the Illinois State Historical Library
J A M E S T . HICKEY
Curator of the Lincoln
N o person in American history has been
written about more than Abraham Lincoln.
We know many of his daily activities from
his birth until his death. Yet his oldest son,
Robert Todd Lincoln, also an outstanding
success, is almost forgotten in history.
Named for his mother's father, Robert
Smith Todd, Robert Lincoln was in appearance and manners a Todd, yet he had many
of the characteristics that made his father so
well remembered. Those characteristics are
evident in the correspondence found in the
Robert Todd Lincoln Collection of the Illinois State Historical Library.
There were three Lincoln children
Collection
younger than Robert, but he was the only
one who lived to maturity. Edward Baker
died at the age of four in 1850; William
Wallace, at twelve in 1862; and Thomas
(Tad), at eighteen in 1871. No parents were
more devoted to their children than
Abraham and Mary Lincoln. In fact, many
of their contemporaries accused them of
spoiling their sons.
Robert Lincoln was born at the Globe
Tavern in Springfield on August 1, 1843.
He received his early education in his home
town, first at the academy of Abel W. Estabrook and then at Illinois State University,
also in Springfield. 1
In August, 1859, Robert applied for admission to Harvard College, but because of
limited preparation he failed the entrance
examination. The faculty recommended
instead that he enter Phillips Exeter
Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and
he did so with another Springfield boy,
'John S. Goff, "The Education of Robert Todd
Lincoln, "Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, 53
(1960), 341-43. Biographical facts for the rest of this
essay are from Goff s Robert Todd Lincoln: A Man in His
Own Right (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press,
1969).
215
ROBERT T. LINCOLN LETTERS
H. P. C.
MANAGKK,
Mr. W. L. RICHARDSON.
STAGK MANAGER
Mr. R. T. LINCOLN.
BBNBFIT NIEHT OF TIE CLASS OF i i
AND
Positively t h e i r last a p p e a r a n c e !
F E I D A Y ,
M
A
Y S O ,
1 8 6 4 .
MR.
BLANCHARD,
MR. CODMAN,
MR. L I N C O L N ,
MR. RICHARDSON,
MR. P E R K I N S ,
MR. P A L M E R ,
MR. W A L L E Y ,
And others will appear in favorite rolei.
The performance will commence with llie Moral Drama, in 3 Acts, by Tom
Tuylur, entitled the
II
With tlie following brilliant east of characters:
Mr. FRANK RUSHTON,
THEEARLOFLAZENBY,
Mr. SLIDELL,
Mr. J. A. Blanchard.
Mr. R. Codman.
Mr. W. P. Walley.
SIR GEORGE LOOSESTRIFE,
Mr. F. W. Wildes.
Mr. JEREMIAH BEETLE,
Mr. W. L. Richardson.
TODD, (a Hill Discounter,)
PEACOCK,
TOPPER, (a Policeman,)
Mr. R. T. Lincoln.
Mr. F. Wells.
Mr. S. D. Horton.
BAILIEFS ..............................................................SPOOPS
LADY BLANCHE
MRS. BEETLE
TROTTER,
RUSHTON,
Miss G. H. Palmer.
Mrs. Roberta & Perkins.
Miss C. P. Greenough.
After thin Play, itwm will bo un inlmnlmkin nf M M
ifamtaHj when tho
winch bad HO glorious n run of one night ln>t season, culled
AS COOL AS A CUCUMBER.
OLD BARKINS, (dlllW|MHIlftllly HO culled,)
R. T. Lincoln.
..
,.
( (bis will—[HI him-, but " iUt a wine / . , - „ , .
FREDERIC BAUKMNM,-j* father "&e
I
Davis.
PLUMPER, (a modest gentleman,)
Mr. W. L. Richardson.
Miaa JESSIE HONITON,
re-appearance of Miss F. L. Bush.
WIGGINS, (a Maid (?) of all work,)
Miss F. P. Anderson.
T H E PYROTECHNIST WILL BE-WARE in his favorite fiery tableaux.
N. B.
Stoughton 32 will be open during the evening as a coat-room, &c.
For the convenience of those who live in Boston, a special Car will leave
Harvard Square at 12 o'clock, precisely.
Doors open at 7, P. M.
Curtain will rise at 8 o'clock, precisely.
The eldest son of the Sixteenth President was a
triple threat in this 1864 production at Harvard
College.
George Latham. Robert saw little of his
family during those years, but when
Abraham Lincoln went to New York on
February 27, 1860, in order to deliver his
address at the Cooper Union, he arranged
his return to include a visit with Robert. 2
The two saw little of each other during the
1860 presidential campaign, but after the
election in January, 1861, Robert returned
to Springfield and helped the family prepare for the move to Washington. He lived
in the White House until autumn of 1861,
when he was admitted to Harvard.
As a son of the President, he found that
he was not merely a student but a public
figure—subject to almost constant attention. He was sometimes accused of being
haughty and snobbish. As a student, he was
above average but not at the top of his class.
He was active socially and participated in
several theatrical performances. His papers
contain numerous programs from college
productions. Absent from the papers, however, is correspondence with his father. In
later years, he was asked frequently for
White House letters, but his response was
always the same. "I do not possess a single
letter written by my father," he explained to
one seeker. "When I was in college he was,
of course, too much occupied to be writing
to me, except very rarely; and it never occurred to me then to keep those letters. I am
sorry for it now, of course, but there is no
will, in response io ri!|aaiiii n i b , rias U|WB tin- an
helpCurtain
for it." 3
In July, 1864, Robert graduated from
Harvard, and he vacationed in Washington
over the summer before beginning studies
2
Earl Schenck Miers, William E. Baringer, eds.,
Lincoln Day by Day: A Chronology (Washington, D.C.:
Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission, 1960), II,
274-75.
3
Lincoln to Richard H. Derby, Nov. 24, 1899,
Robert Todd Lincoln Collection, Illinois State Historical Library, Springfield. All letters hereafter cited are
from this collection.
4
See, tor example, Robert Lincoln's letters to Davis
on Dec. 8, 1866, and Jan. 8, 1867.
MARY HARLAN LINCOLN
at Harvard Law School in September. Suffering considerably from critics who
thought that he should enlist in the Army,
Robert convinced his parents of his desire
to interrupt his law studies for the service.
On February 11, 1865, he was commissioned captain and assistant adjutant on the
staff of General Ulysses S. Grant.
Robert was at the White House on April
14, 1865, but did not attend Ford's Theatre
with his parents. After the assassination, he
rushed to the bedside of his father and remained until the next morning. No longer
the son of the President of the United
States, the twenty-one-year-old Robert
found himself the head of a grieving and
desperate family.
He immediately took charge, asking
Judge David Davis, his father's old Illinois
friend and campaign manager, to come to
Washington and handle certain business affairs. It has long been assumed that Davis
supervised the family's finances thereafter.
but Robert Lincoln's correspondence
(which begins shortly after the assassination) reveals that although he did depend
on Judge Davis for advice and help, Robert
retained control and was responsible for
most of the decisions. 4
Leaving Washington with his mother and
Tad, Robert arrived in Chicago on May 22,
1865, and took rooms at the Tremont
House; later the family moved to a house in
Hyde Park. Chicago was Robert Lincoln's
home for the next forty-six years.
Robert resumed the study of law in the
offices of Scammon, McCagg, and Fuller.
Within two years, he was admitted to the
Illinois bar and began practice with Charles
T. Scammon, son of one of the partners.
That brief partnership proved discouraging, however, for young Scammon was an
alcoholic.
Meanwhile, Lincoln's personal life was
undergoing considerable change. He continued to court Mary Harlan, daughter of
218
Iowa S e n a t o r J a m e s H a r l a n . H e h a d b e e n
seeing h e r since t h e W h i t e H o u s e years, a n d
o n S e p t e m b e r 26, 1868, they w e r e m a r r i e d
at the H a r l a n h o m e in W a s h i n g t o n . Mary
T o d d Lincoln a t t e n d e d the w e d d i n g , b u t
the r e t u r n to W a s h i n g t o n was difficult for
her. Soon after t h e c e r e m o n y , she a n d T a d
d e p a r t e d o n a E u r o p e a n t o u r t h a t lasted
nearly t h r e e years. T h r o u g h t h e separation, R o b e r t closely followed T a d ' s educational p r o g r e s s . 5 H e also served as the
y o u n g m a n ' s legal g u a r d i a n , which req u i r e d f r e q u e n t r e p o r t i n g to t h e c o u r t .
R o b e r t was particularly c o n c e r n e d a b o u t
his b r o t h e r ' s schooling, which h a d b e e n
badly neglected because of a speech i m p e d iment a n d a generally frail state of health.
T a d ' s d e a t h in 1 8 7 1 , at t h e a g e of e i g h t e e n ,
was a severe blow. R o b e r t was left again to
console a n d care for his d i s t r a u g h t m o t h e r .
T h e R o b e r t Lincolns w e r e t h e n m a k i n g
their h o m e at 6 5 3 W a b a s h A v e n u e , a fashionable n e i g h b o r h o o d a p p r o p r i a t e for t h e
family of a p r o m i s i n g y o u n g lawyer. O n e
block away lived a t t o r n e y E d w a r d S. I s h a m ,
with w h o m Lincoln f o r m e d a p a r t n e r s h i p
in 1872. Eventually they w e r e j o i n e d by William G. Beale, a n d today I s h a m , Lincoln,
a n d Beale is o n e o f Chicago's most prestigious firms.
T h e Lincolns' t h r e e c h i l d r e n , all b o r n in
Chicago, w e r e a source of satisfaction a n d
fulfillment to their p a r e n t s . T h e eldest,
Mary, was b o r n in 1869. She was followed in
1873 by a boy, n a m e d A b r a h a m after his
grandfather and nicknamed Jack. T h e
y o u n g e s t child, Jessie, was b o r n in 1875.
In 1 8 8 1 , R o b e r t Lincoln accepted his first
national political a p p o i n t m e n t — S e c r e t a r y
of W a r u n d e r P r e s i d e n t J a m e s A. Garfield.
T h e year also m a r k e d a high point in what
was b e c o m i n g a d e l u g e of requests to Lincoln from job-seekers. T h e difficulty was
c o m p o u n d e d because so m a n y of t h e requests w e r e from relatives, mostly those of
his m o t h e r . After scarcely two m o n t h s in
W a s h i n g t o n , Lincoln d e c l a r e d t h a t he h a d
"a feeling of e m b a r r a s s m e n t " over the
ROBERT T. LINCOLN LETTERS
n u m b e r of favors h e was b e i n g asked to
g r a n t . T h e following letter to his cousin
M a r g a r e t T o d d describes a litany of half a
d o z e n relatives. 6 As h e states, m a n y of t h e
requests w e r e received even b e f o r e his arrival in the Capital.
Shortly before I came here, but when I had
been informed that I was to occupy my present
place, I was urged by my cousin, Mrs. Ella
Canfield, the widowed daughter of my mother's
brother, Levi Todd, who was in a temporary
clerkship here, to get her a place in one of the
Departments here. I could not see my way to
have her in the War Department, and, with a
good deal of difficulty, I arranged to have her
made a clerk in the State Department, where she
now is. Her brother, Robert S. Todd, is a clerk in
the Treasury (not through me) and is urging me
to help him to promotion. Their young sister,
now in Lexington, is also anxious to come here in
Government employment, but I was obliged to
write that, both on her own account, and on my
own, I felt compelled to withhold my assistance
for such a purpose. During the Presidency of
Mr. Hayes, it came in my way to give some help
by which another cousin, Miss Mattie Todd, of
Cynthiana, Ky. (daughter of my uncle, Geo.
Todd) was made post Master at that place, which
office she still holds, and, I am told, administers
well. Now, I am being pressed to urge a sister of
my mother for another Post office in Kentucky. I
have a great regard for her and want to do anything proper in my power to aid her.
The Governor of your State has written me to
aid in getting a Post office in Missouri for
another cousin, Miss Boyd. Another cousin, a
son of Gen. J. B. S. Todd, of Dakota, urges me to
get him a commission in the Army; and Mrs.
Gen. Todd wants to be given the Post Office in
Yankton.
With typical graciousness, Lincoln conc l u d e d the letter: "I would be very glad to
5
Lincoln to Davis, Nov. 19, 1870.
"The letter is dated May 19, 1881; the foregoing
quotation is also from the letter to Margaret Todd.
H
H
Mary Harlan Lincoln on her wedding day, September 26, 1868
see any o r all of these wishes gratified, for I
know it w o u l d d o g o o d ; but it is simply
impossible for m e to p u t myself forward
a n d use my official influence in this way. If I
h a d t h e c o u r a g e to try it, I would be
ridiculed o u t of office."
At a b o u t t h e same time, Lincoln received
a r e q u e s t from t h e wife o f Mary Lincoln's
cousin G e n e r a l J o h n B. S. T o d d , w h o also
asked for h e l p "in p r o c u r r i n g an a p p o i n t m e n t . " Lincoln r e s p o n d e d :
It will give me great pleasure to forward your
letter to the President: but I must say to you that
I find it impossible to attempt to use my personal
influence in the matter.
220
Within the last few years I have assisted in
procuring places for several persons more or less
nearly related to me through my mother, and I
have now on my table applications from nearly a
dozen others.
This, of course, you were not aware of when
you wrote your letter; but/ must consider it, and
propriety compels me to make no further applications of that character. 7
Lincoln a n d President Garfield h a d a
s t r o n g w o r k i n g relationship d u r i n g t h e
President's short t e r m . O n J u l y 2, 1881,
Garfield was critically w o u n d e d e n r o u t e to
a speaking e n g a g e m e n t . Lincoln, travelling
n e a r b y , i m m e d i a t e l y took c h a r g e . H e
s u m m o n e d Dr. C h a r l e s S. Bliss a n d design a t e d h i m " s u r g e o n in chief." T h r o u g h t h e
President's e n s u i n g incapacity, Lincoln ass u m e d control of t h e White H o u s e staff.
His c o r r e s p o n d e n c e for t h e p e r i o d shows
that he was constantly with Garfield a n d in
fact d e c i d e d w h o m t h e P r e s i d e n t should
see. Letters to Dr. Bliss indicate t h a t Lincoln
supervised m u c h of Garfield's medical
care. 8 M o r e o v e r , Lincoln a r r a n g e d for
Garfield's t r a n s p o r t a t i o n from t h e Capital
to Elberon, New J e r s e y , w h e r e it was h o p e d
that t h e President m i g h t regain his health.
Special rail cars w e r e o r d e r e d from t h e
Pullman C o m p a n y . Lincoln's characteristic
attention to detail is obvious in this p e r s o n a l
letter to his Chicago friend a n d client
George Pullman.
T h e most comfortable car inside for him
[Garfield] would be one of your parlor cars with
all of the seats removed, but the difficulty is to
get the President through the doors of the car
into the main body of it. I think it would be best if
one of the combined baggage and passenger cars
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. were used, put,
if possible, on a set of your three-wheel trucks,
and if necessary to add increased steadiness,
weighted by the addition of a sufficient quantity
of railroad iron. . . . It would be well to have
this car, and adjoining car containing Mrs.
Garfield and her immediate attendants, and
even another car if necessary in front of the
ROBERT T. LINCOLN LETTERS
engine, to avoid as much as possible, dust and
cinders. 9
In a later letter to A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l Isaac
W. M a c V e a g h , Lincoln d i r e c t e d t h e setting
u p of g u a r d s for t h e President at E l b e r o n . 1 0
T h o s e are j u s t a few of t h e e x a m p l e s of t h e
e x t e n t to which Lincoln was in control. In
fact, h e acted very m u c h as Secretary of
W a r S t a n t o n d i d after A b r a h a m Lincoln's
assassination. R o b e r t Lincoln was t h e only
m e m b e r of Garfield's Cabinet w h o served
t h e e n t i r e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of t h e new President, Chester Arthur.
With his family a n d friends, Lincoln ind u l g e d his g r e a t love of travel a n d t h e outd o o r s . D u r i n g t h e winter h e vacationed in
California, Florida, Louisiana, o r Mexico
City. H e enjoyed winter golf in Georgia,
South Carolina, a n d Virginia. I n t h e s u m m e r , h e r e n t e d q u a r t e r s at M a n c h e s t e r by
the Sea in Massachusetts, at E l b e r o n in New
J e r s e y , a n d at New Deal Beach. H e accomp a n i e d P r e s i d e n t A r t h u r on a n e x c u r s i o n to
Yellowstone P a r k in s u m m e r of 1883.
Yet, for all t h e cordial relations b e t w e e n
t h e m , t h e President a n d Secretary of W a r
w e r e t e m p o r a r i l y set against each o t h e r
w h e n Republican leaders in 1884 b e c a m e
dissatisfied with A r t h u r ' s p e r f o r m a n c e .
A m o n g party m e m b e r s t h e r e was a substantial m o v e m e n t for d r a f t i n g R o b e r t Lincoln
in t h e President's place.
D e t e r m i n e d t h a t h e would not seek elective office, h e e x p r e s s e d his feelings r a t h e r
forcefully to Albion W. T o u r g e e , e d i t o r of
Continent magazine. T o u r g e e h a d written
a n editorial calling for Lincoln's draft. Lincoln r e s p o n d e d :
Your own article is startling,—not that its conclusions are wholly novel, for that curious perception which causes a man's own name to stand
7
The letter is dated May 23, 1881.
"The letter is dated May 23, 1882.
"The letter is dated Sept. 2, 1881.
10
The letter is dated Sept. 5, 1881.
The Lincoln children—Mary at left, Jessie at right, and Jack
out to him in a newspaper page like a ship at sea,
has not left me ignorant of a great deal of talk
about myself, but your article seems more deliberate, and not to be disregarded like a newspaper paragraph which is not seldom flatly contradicted by a succeeding one in the same issue.
I sincerely hope you are wrong in your estimate of the resultant political forces which will
be at work between now and June. Circumstances have made me pretty familiar with the
unceasing cares and petty annoyance of the President's office, and they are enough to make one
shudder. Whether or not age and greater acquaintance with men and methods would enable
me to assume them with more equanimity, I
cannot tell. Certain it is that I do not now want to
take the burden. There is to me one thing pleasant in the whole business, and that is, that I have
been able so to conduct myself for a few years in
an important office [Secretary of War] as not to
Jm
These photographs of the exterior
and den of Robert Todd Lincoln's
Lake Shore Drive home, ca. 1890,
were made with a Kodak, the first
camera manufactured for amateur
use. The camera was sold already
loaded with film for one hundred
negatives. The exposed film, still in
the camera, was then sent to the factory for processing. The prints were
returned along with the reloaded
camera.
The Lincolns' address was originally 60 Lake Shore Drive, but in
1910 the area was renumbered. T h e
new address was 1234 Lake Shore
Drive.
Hildene, the Lincoln family's summer home in Manchester, Vermont. The estate, approximately 412 acres in size,
includes formal gardens, trout streams, and twenty-seven buildings.
avert the kind feelings towards myself springing
from the regard in which my father's memory is
held by so many. But between doing that and
gaining distinction by long and valuable public
services there is a long way over which I am well
aware that I have not travelled. Of course, I
know what is said about "availability"; but it
seems clear to me that our Convention should
not permit the very qualities which make our
leaders prominent to be the cause of their rejection. . . . My own exclusion upon such consideration would, for reasons some of which I
would not care to express, cause me anything but
regret, and if there are not enough Republicans
to elect the right man, we will go down with the
flag flying."
I n 1885, Lincoln e n g a g e d the p r o m i n e n t
architect Solon S. B e m a n to design a h o u s e ,
built at 6 0 Lake S h o r e Drive in Chicago.
"The letter is dated March 28, 1884.
12
Lincoln to Beman, Dec. 31, 1888.
A m o n g his n e i g h b o r s w e r e the Potter Palm e r s . As in everything, Lincoln took great
interest in t h e details of construction. O n e
letter to B e m a n specified t h e quality of
stone to be used in the front stairs. Lincoln
r e m i n d e d t h e architect t h a t t h e r e m u s t be
n o "white flaws" in the stone, a p r o b l e m
with material previously o r d e r e d for t h e
job.12
Lincoln r e t u r n e d to public life after Benj a m i n H a r r i s o n b e c a m e P r e s i d e n t . In
March, 1889, h e accepted a p p o i n t m e n t as
minister to E n g l a n d . T h e a p p o i n t m e n t was
seen as a r e w a r d for Illinois Republicans,
a n d the Lincolns, a c c o m p a n i e d by their
now t e e n - a g e d c h i l d r e n , w e r e p o p u l a r
additions to L o n d o n society. Y o u n g J a c k
Lincoln, w h o not only h a d a g r e a t interest in
his g r a n d f a t h e r b u t also r e s e m b l e d him in
height, was a special favorite. After only a
few m o n t h s , however, J a c k took sick a n d a
c a r b u n c l e was discovered o n his l u n g . After
a lingering illness m a r k e d by occasional rallies, t h e s e v e n t e e n - y e a r - o l d died. His d e a t h
The Mount Pleasant, Iowa, home
of Senator James Harlan, Robert
Lincoln's father-in-law.
devastated his parents. Robert Lincoln accompanied Jack's body to Springfield for
burial and then immediately returned to his
diplomatic duties. He never returned to his
Chicago law office, saying in several letters
that he had built the practice for his son and
that after Jack's death the law held no interest for him. 13 In April, 1893, Lincoln retired from the Harrison administration and
returned to Chicago as a private citizen.
Now fifty years old, Lincoln devoted himself to serving as "special counsel" for the
Pullman Palace Car Company and to administering certain family matters.
Mary, the elder Lincoln daughter, in
1891 married Charles Isham, a secretary in
the American legation in London. Isham
was a distant relative of Robert Lincoln's
law partner, and the match was heartily approved by both families. The Ishams spent
most of their time in New York City, and
Robert Lincoln seemed to favor them in
family matters. He frequently called on
their help in looking after his own New
York apartment and in arranging for
summer homes or for the furnishings of his
Manchester, Vermont, retreat, Hildene.
The Ishams had one son, whom they
named Lincoln.
Jessie Lincoln's marriage in 1896, on the
other hand, was opposed by her parents.
An extremely beautiful woman, Jessie met
her husband, Warren Beckwith, while visiting her maternal grandparents, the James
Harlans of Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Beckwith
at the time aspired to a career in professional football, and the Lincolns opposed
the marriage on the basis of his presumed
lack of seriousness. The Beckwiths became
parents of two children, Mary and Robert
Lincoln. The Beckwith children were frequent visitors to the Lincoln homes in Chicago and Vermont and were clearly doted
.
13
Lincoln to Clark S. Reid, Jan. 27, 1906.
Tinted photograph of Mary and Jessie Lincoln
The Beckwith grandchildren—Mary and Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith
on by their grandparents. Robert Lincoln's
correspondence often mentions them with
loving interest. 14
Lincoln was frequently called upon to
help his father-in-law, James Harlan. Although a man of considerable wealth during his Washington years as Secretary of the
Interior and Iowa senator, Harlan was
plagued with financial difficulties after his
retirement. For more than fifteen years,
Lincoln assisted him in a complex lawsuit
involving investments in the Washington
Chronicle newspaper, which Harlan had
edited. The failure of the Chronicle in 1873
left Harlan with huge liabilities. Also, the
Senator seemed prone to unsuccessful mining and railroad ventures in the West. He
was loaned considerable amounts of money
by his son-in-law, and Lincoln purchased
several shares of worthless stock in order to
protect Harlan's interests. 15
Distant relatives from the Todd clan were
an ongoing trial through Lincoln's adulthood. For most of the requests, he relied on
the advice of his mother's sister, Emily
Todd Helm, who had lived in the White
ROBERT LINCOLN
House after her Confederate General husband was killed in the Civil War. Emily,
benefitting from her nephew's position, beM
See, for example, Lincoln to Stoddard, Jan. 4,
1909. The Beckwith marriage ended in divorce ten
years later. Jessie's second marriage was to a photographer for National Geographic, and in 1926 she married Robert J. Randolph.
15
At Harlan's deatli in 1899, the once-large estate
was valued at less than $50,000. See Lincoln to I. W.
Babb, Feb. 23, 1900.
''Margaret A. Todd File contains correspondence
from Aug., 1905, to Sept., 1912, between Lincoln,
Margaret Todd, and the Boone County National Bank
of Columbia, Mo.
came a postmistress in Kentucky and often
received thousand-dollar checks from
Robert for herself and three children.
Robert would routinely ask her who such
and such a Todd was, how the person was
related, and whether he should help. In one
instance, Lincoln opened a bank account in
the home town of one distant relative, explaining to the banker that such an arrangement was simpler than attempting to
respond to a constant flow of letters. 16 During his later years, Lincoln must have
looked over the hundreds of "Dear Cousin"
Lincoln Isham, son of Mary Lincoln Isham, poses behind his grandfather's frrivate Pullman Palace car
letters and wondered if there could be any
sad story that he had not heard.
Relatives were not the only favor-seekers.
Almost every boyhood friend eventually
appealed to him, as did such notables as
General Grant and the sons of Stephen A.
Douglas. Almost always, Lincoln granted
the requests cheerfully. He was, without
doubt, a soft touch. Some of his finest letters
are in behalf of these old friends, especially
if there was real need. One of those letters
contains some unintentional humor that
might have amused Abraham Lincoln.
Robert once sent a lukewarm recommendation for a boyhood friend from Springfield
who, although trained as a physician, was
inexplicably applying for a job as a conductor on the Pullman line. Perhaps forgetting
the humble circumstances of his father's
early years, Robert stated of his Springfield
friend: "He is a man of thoroughly gentlemanly instincts and manner . . . I feel sure
in my own mind that there is nothing to
account for the necessity of his taking such a
place as he now desires, except that inability
to make an independent success which is
found so often in southern boys, for he was
born and raised in Kentucky." 17
Lincoln's devotion to his friends was
legendary, and the circle of Chicago
businessmen in which he moved was one
seemingly built on common regard as well
as commercial interest. On New Year's Day,
1906, Robert, always an avid golfer, played
eighteen holes with Marshall Field, James
Simpson, and Stanley Field. The four used
red golf balls in the knee-deep Chicago
snow. Marshall Field took cold after the
game but did not postpone a business trip
East; fifteen days later, he died of
"Lincoln to Richard A. Elmer, May 28, 1888.
'"Chicago Daily Tribune, Jan. 16 (p. l.cols. 7 ff.),Jan.
17 (p. l.cols. 7 ff.), 1906.
19
The letter is dated April 18, 1906.
Family albums refer to Lincoln and his golf cronies as "the Lincoln foursome." A
guest, President William Taft, is seen in these photographs. Lincoln is at the tee in the
view above: the President, in the view below.
half before he fully recovered from his
grief.
T h e Field story brings up another part of
Robert Lincoln's personality—he seems
never to have felt well. He wrote frequently
of being on the verge of exhaustion. In both
Chicago and Manchester he retained the
full services o f a physician. Dr. C. M.
Campbell, who cared for him at Hildene,
was on twenty-four-hour call when Lincoln
pneumonia and other complications. Lincoln was at his bedside. 1 8 T h e two men had
been the closest of friends, and Lincoln suffered a nervous breakdown after Field's
death. He reported to Emily Helm that despite a ten weeks' rest in the South "trying to
get over my illness," he was still "unable to
write." Discouraged, he announced that he
was setting out for Hildene in hopes of
finding "perfect rest." 19 It was a year and a
229
The Hildene observatory
JAMES T. HICKEY
was in town. Robert was equally concerned
about the delicate health of his wife, whom
he described as "a small person." It appears
from his letters that Robert and Mary were
never well at the same time. Lincoln's
preoccupation with his health and that of
his wife is especially remarkable because he
lived to be nearly eighty-three, and Mary
Lincoln to ninety-one.
The Lincolns retained a large domestic
and business staff. While traveling (which
the family did often, usually with Pullman
passes), they had at least three maids as well
as a butler, valet, chef, chauffeur, groom,
coachman, and traveling secretary. Lincoln
also employed a private secretary for the
Chicago and the New York office.
Moreover, each residence had a permanent
domestic staff.
231
All through his life, Robert Lincoln was
tolerant of requests from acquaintances or
strangers seeking information about his
father. Yet, as 1909—the one-hundredth
anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth—
approached, Robert confessed that he was
"rather dreading" the inevitable flood of
invitations to memorial observances. One
such celebration was planned by Chicago
Tribune publisher Medill McCormick, who
requested Lincoln's presence "at an extensive celebration" on February 12. In referring to the celebration, Robert stated that
he would not "take part in any such matters." He freely passed along word of
McCormick's plans when asked about them
by his old friend William O. Stoddard,
however. Writing from his winter retreat in
Georgia, Robert observed that although he
One of Robert Lincoln's few public speeches about his father occurred at Knox College for an October 7, 1896,
commemoration of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
Mary and Robert Beckwith with their mother, Jessie Lincoln Beckwith Randolph
233
JAMES T. HICKEY
felt " m u c h a p p r e c i a t i o n " for McCormick's
efforts, h e d e c l a r e d , "I could go n o f u r t h e r
into such a m a t t e r t h a n to converse u p o n
the subject." T h e letter c o n c l u d e d : "I h o p e
that you a r e s t a n d i n g y o u r seventy-three
years b e t t e r t h a n I am s t a n d i n g my sixtyfive. I have not yet b e e n able to get o u t of
business h a r n e s s entirely, b u t d o get away as
m u c h as I can from work a n d play golf a n d
m a k e the a c q u a i n t a n c e of my grandchild r e n , a n d that is what I am d o i n g n o w . " 2 0
R o b e r t Lincoln did accede to o n e c e n t e n nial celebration in 1909, o r g a n i z e d in
Springfield by a g r o u p called the Lincoln
C e n t e n n i a l Association. Otis H u m p h r e y ,
20
21
The letter is dated March 5, 1908.
The letter is dated Jan. 4, 1909.
U n i t e d States District J u d g e , o r g a n i z e d t h e
affair, which eventually d r e w nearly two
t h o u s a n d participants, including m a n y
m e m b e r s of the diplomatic service. Robert,
in a c c e p t i n g H u m p h r e y ' s invitation, imposed familiar restrictions:
As you perhaps know, it has been my constant
practice ever since my father's death, to refrain
from taking any part myself in any of the many
annual celebrations of his birthday, which have
been held for many years; and I therefore write
to request, inasmuch as my feeling in that regard
is very strong, that I not be asked to participate in
any way in the ceremonies, so that my part in
them shall be absolutely limited to my personal
presence. 21
Lincoln m a d e g r e a t strides t o w a r d freeing himself from "business h a r n e s s " in May,
1911, w h e n h e resigned as p r e s i d e n t of
P u l l m a n . A l t h o u g h h e accepted the title
c h a i r m a n of t h e b o a r d , h e sold t h e C h i c a g o
Lincoln Centennial Association Banquet, 1909
234
R O B E R T T. L I N C O L N
house on Lake Shore Drive and eventually
purchased one in Washington. He continued to travel extensively, and Hildene
remained his favorite place for relaxation.
Lincoln spent the last ten years of his life
almost entirely at Hildene. There, he built
an observatory with a fine telescope, and, as
an amateur astronomer, spent many nights
observing the stars. In the mansion he installed a pipe organ, and he enjoyed many
hours listening to its music. The organ was
played by rolls, similar to a player piano.
His correspondence contains many letters
ordering new rolls.
Among the most precious possessions
LETTERS
at Hildene were the personal papers of
Abraham Lincoln. After protecting them
for more than half a century, Robert gave
them to the Library of Congress in 1919,
with the final stipulation that they be sealed
until twenty-one years after his own death.
It was at Hildene, on the night of July 25,
1926, six days short of his eighty-third
birthday, that Robert Todd Lincoln died
quietly in his sleep.
This essay is adapted from James T. Hickey's remarks on the
opening of a Lincolniana exhibit at the Chicago Historical
Society in April, 1979.
ROBERT T O D D LINCOLN, 1843-1926