Tad Lincoln (Tad's World) (2024)

Thomas Lincoln III (April 4th, 1853 - October 19th, 1930) often referred to as "Tad" Lincoln was born the fourth and youngest son of President Abraham Lincoln who grew up to become a sailor, politician, statesman, historian, author and scholar who served as 25th President of the United States from 1897 to 1905. He previously served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Benjamin Harrison from 1890 to 1893, as well as the 19th Governor of Illinois from 1885 to 1890. Lincoln became the leader of the Republican Party following his successful election of 1896 and became the driving force of progressive politics, trust-busting as well as becoming the voice of the common man.

After surviving a tumultuous childhood marked by the assassination of his father, President Abraham Lincoln, and the early death of his two older brothers would go on to live a remarkable life.

Following his father's death, Tad's mother, Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1894), worried about his education due to his previously erratic schooling. However, Tad showed a surprising aptitude for learning and in 1871, after overcoming a significant illness, he attended Harvard University. Graduating in 1875, he decided to serve his country and joined the U.S. Navy where he served with distinction before being honorably discharged in 1878.

Using his name and his keen intellect, Tad was elected as a U.S. Representative from Illinois in 1880. Despite losing his re-election bid in 1882, he did not let this deter him. In 1879, he married Ella Cullom, the daughter of the recent former Governor of Illinois and potential Senate candidate, further cementing his political ties.

In 1884, Tad successfully ran for Governor of Illinois. During his tenure, he was shocked by the poor living conditions, pollution, and sanitation issues in the rapidly growing city of Chicago. He was also angered by the handling of the Haymarket Affair. Despite these challenges, he succeeded in bringing the World's Fair to Chicago in 1893, showcasing the city's potential. As Governor, Tad sought to bridge the gap between the common people, government, and industry, striving to tackle corruption and machine politics. He promoted his father's values of unity and fairness, which resonated with many Illinois citizens.

In 1890, Tad was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy, where he worked tirelessly to modernize the fleet and improve the living conditions of sailors. Despite President Harrison's loss in 1892, Tad's political career continued to thrive. During the years 1893 to 1896 he was disgusted by the handling of the strikes of 1894. In 1896, Tad made the leap to national politics and ran for President. He narrowly won the nomination over William McKinley and, with John Sherman as his running mate, won the Presidential Election against William Jennings Bryan. At the age of 43 years and 11 months he became the youngest elected President in US history until John F Kennedy in 1961.

During his time as President he led the nation through the Spanish-American War, led a series of busting bad trusts, and championed the common working man, championed safety and sanitation standards and eventually became a voice of progressive social and economic reform.

Early Life and Education[]

Early Childhood[]

Thomas "Tad" Lincoln was born the fourth and youngest son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. He had two older brothers Robert (1843-1926), Willie (1850-1862) as one of his older brother Edward (1846-1850) died three years before he was born. Named after his grandfather Thomas Lincoln (1778-1851) but he was soon nicknamed "Tad" as an infant by his father Abraham because of his large head and small body and because he "wiggled like a tad pole".

Tad was born with a cleft lip and palate which caused him speech problems throughout his childhood which in turn led to learning difficulties. He had a lisp and spoke rapidly often only being able to be understood by those who were close to him. Growing up, Tad had an appealing boyish face with dark hair like his dad’s. His eyes were dark. Tad was quick in his movements and talked rapidly. He was imaginative, sensitive, exasperating, loving, and highly emotional. Tad's behavior and manners were often unpredictable and sometimes difficult to deal with.

White House Years[]

Tad was eight years old when the Lincoln family moved into the White House in 1861. Although Tad was more rambunctious than his brother, Willie, both boys enjoyed playing pranks around the Executive Mansion. In the White House, Tad sprayed dignitaries with the fire hose, broke mirrors, locked doors, interrupted Cabinet meetings, constructed wagons and sleds out of chairs, set up a food shop in the lobby, rang the call bells, and drilled the servants (as if they were soldiers). Abraham generally laughed at his sons’ tricks, and any kind of discipline was generally lacking.

Tad seemed to enjoy the idea of throwing the White House and its staff into a dither. Because of the times, some of Tad’s games were war-related. He received a pretend military commission from Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. In February, 1862 both Tad and his older brother Willie contracted typhoid fever, and while Tad did make a full recovery, unfortunately Willie did not and succumbed to his illness and died on February 20th. Following the loss of his brother, he cried for a month, not only for his brother's death, but for the loss of his other two playmates Bud and Holly, for his mother sent them away after Willie's death, because they reminded her too much of him. After Willie's death, Tad's parents became even more lenient toward Tad's behavior, and Tad spent nearly all his time with his father.

On April 14, 1865, Tad went to the Grover Theater to see ‘Aladdin and the Magic Lamp’ with his tutor while his parents attended ‘Our American Cousin’ at Ford’s Theater. During the play information about the President’s shooting was whispered in the tutor’s ear.

After Tad had departed, theatre manager C. D. Hess stepped onto the stage and announced the tragedy to the audience. Tad was taken back to the White House and comforted by a member of the White House staff, Tom Pendel. Pendel put Tad to bed around midnight. The next morning when Mary Todd returned from the Petersen House and news of Abraham’s death spread, Tad put his arms around his mother’s neck and said, "Don’t cry so, Mamma! Don’t cry, or you will make me cry, too! You will break my heart!"

One morning several days after the assassination, Tad faced up to his new situation in life. He said to a White House servant, "Pa is dead. I can hardly believe that I shall never see him again. I must learn to take care of myself now. Yes, Pa is dead, and I am only Tad Lincoln now, little Tad, like other little boys. I am not a President’s son now. I won’t have many presents anymore. Well, I will try and be a good boy, and will hope to go someday to Pa and brother Willie, in heaven."

After His Father’s Assassination[]

After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Lincoln family moved back to Illinois and settled in Chicago, where Tad would attend school for the first time. Tad eventually during his school years began to control and eventually almost completely overcome his speech problem and his stuttering. In 1867 Tad and his brother traveled to Washington to testify in the trial of John Surratt (who was accused of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth). Tad also began a growth spurt in his early-teenage years growing 7 inches in the year after his 14th birthday growing from 5’2" (1.57m) to 5’9" (1.75m) where he would start to take after his father growing lankier and would eventually reach his full adult height of 6’3" (1.91m) by the time he turned 18.

In the years before Tad left for Harvard he became very close to his mother, looking after her and becoming her closest companion. In July, 1870 Mary Lincoln was guaranteed a $3,000 a year pension from Congress which helped the family financially. The family resided in the Clifton House until the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. During his time at Harvard University in 1873 he met a local 18 year old girl Elizabeth Kennedy, the daughter of grocery store owner and widow Bridget Murphy (who happened to be the paternal Great Grandmother of President John F Kennedy) and fell in love with her. Tad happened to be present in Boston for the Great Boston Fire of 1872 which began his interest in fire safety and urban planning. In March, 1875 Elizabeth came down with cholera the same disease that killed her father Patrick Kennedy in 1858 and she died two weeks later. This sent Tad into a depression that after graduating from Harvard later that spring he joined to Navy in order to help recover from.

While Tad was away at Harvard he frequently wrote letters to his mother, Mary and helped her adjust mentally to living alone. While away at Harvard, Tad noticed that his mothers writings became slightly more erratic and offered to have her live with her older son Robert in order to help her mental state. In 1875, Tad and Robert got into arguments about whether or not to have Mary institutionalized, a first in many disagreements between the two brothers later in life.

Education[]

Before 1865, the only education Tad received was from private tutors in the White House and by the time of his father’s assassination in 1865 at the age of 12 he yet had little ability to write and was not yet fully literate. After Abraham’s assassination the Lincoln family moved to Chicago, and Mary became increasingly concerned about Tad’s lack of schooling. In 1865 at age 12 he could not write and was almost completely illiterate despite having been tutored in the White House. Tad after his father’s death began to take up reading more as a way to escape the trauma of his fathers murder and vowed to be a better behaved child and take his education more seriously. Tad began to attend school in Chicago in January of 1866. When the family moved to a new location in Chicago, Tad began attending the Brown School on Warren Avenue rapidly improving in his ability to ready and write to the point of becoming the editor of the school newspaper in just over a year. When the family settled in Frankfurt, Germany in late-1868 Tad began attending a local boarding school with an excellent reputation operated by Dr. Hohagen. In 1870 when the Franco-Prussian War broke out the family moved to England where Tad had a private tutor and was amazed by the sites of the ship yards and docks in London along with the subway which began his lifelong fascination with ships and trains.

In January, 1872 Tad began attending Harvard University where he excelled in the sciences, history and rhetoric. During his time at Harvard he completely overcame his stuttering problem and became a commanding orator, took up boxing and rowing and became a member of both the Alpha Delta Phi and Porcelain Club. He continued his skills as a newspaper editor he gained in school in Chicago and became the head editor of The Harvard Advocate in 1874 and even helped establish The Harvard Magenta in January, 1873 which would go on to become the Harvard Crimson. In 1875, Tad graduated cum laude with an A.B ranking 13th out of 169 students.

Naval Service and Early Career[]

After graduating from Harvard University in 1875 and in order to escape the drama in his family with his mother and older brother and the grief from the loss of his college sweetheart Elizabeth Kennedy Tad joined the US Navy hoping to find a brief period of adventure and exploration. Tad was trained at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for eight months before becoming a sailor on the newly commissioned USS Vandalia commanded by Captain Henry B Robeson. During his time in the Navy he was disappointed with the state of the Navy with the small number of ships and how many of them had fallen into disrepair. During his three years in the Navy he saw virtually no combat and spent most of his time stationed at Portsmouth and there he learned how to repair ships.

In November 1876 while on the European Expedition aboard the USE Vandalia, Tad was sent on a Mediterranean voyage where he proved to be a skilled sailor and a talented mechanic. During the year and a half long tour the Vandalia toured the coast of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. On December 13th, 1877, the lanky 6’3", dark brown hair, haze grey eyed Tad met former President, General Ulysses S Grant whom upon revealing himself to the Civil War hero said he could see a strong resemblance. During his time on the Vandalia, Tad rediscovered his purpose in life and decided to take up a career in politics upon returning home. Tad was honorably discharged from the Navy on April 17th, 1878, upon returning to Boston.

Return Home and Entry into Politics[]

When Tad returned to the United States he travelled west to Chicago, found out that his brother Robert was attempting to institutionalize their mother. Annoyed by this Tad took his mother Mary and headed west along the transcontinental railroad until reaching Evanston, Wyoming where Tad would have her get away from the stress and memories of Illinois and out into the open quiet country with fresh air to help ease her mind. According to his memoirs, Tad felt a need to get in touch with the frontier settler roots of his father Abrham, grandfather Thomas and great-grandfather Abraham. In late May, 1878, Tad using about $2,000 out of the $56,000 in government bonds left by his father, Tad bought 100 acres of land in northern Uinta County, Wyoming where he would take up logging and ranching as a hobby and built himself a log cabin in about just over a week. He then sent his mother over to San Francisco to get her away from the stresses of Chicago, and memories of Abraham, while staying behind to help clear his head for about a month before she returned to see him.

During his time in Wyoming in he managed to get into a bar fight with a local miner who after insulting him and his mother told the man he could say whatever he wanted to about him but not to say anything about his mother, after insulting his mother again and refusing to apologize the two got into a fist fight where Lincoln beat the man then forced him to apologize for insulting her. Following the incident, Mary commented that she did not have him go off to college and hire those tutors so he could grow up to be a knuckle brawling frontiersman.

In mid-July 1878 after two months Tad returned to Springfield to consider running for state legislature there and met the then Governor of Illinois, Shelby Moore Cullom and while there met his daughter Ella Cullom and fell in love with her instantly. The two eventually married on August 18th, 1879, then had their first child Abraham Lincoln II on July 20th, 1880. Much like his father his ambitions started turning political, annoyed by the corruption and growing ambivalence of the Republicans and the regressive attitudes and racism of Democrats. He also took up logging as a hobby in 1878 to help exercise and took part in local boxing matches where his reach advantage helped in his weight class. In October 1879, Tad and Ella moved into a small two-bedroom cottage home next to a small tavern in Glencoe, Illinois where they would live until 1883.

US House of Representatives[]

Taking advantage of his name, Tad decided to run for congress in the 1880 election cycle where he ran in the states 9th congressional district following the retirement of incumbent Thomas A Boyd. In November 1880 Tad Lincoln won the election with 46.5% of the vote defeating Democratic challenger John S Lee who got 45.4% of the vote thanks to Greenback candidate William H Reynolds receiving 8.1%. During his time as Representative he promoted policies such as modernizing the Navy, promoting railroad and infrastructure safety standards, along with race issues in the south.

It was in Washington DC that Tad discovered the factional politics of DC and the concept of back room deals and special favors. Tad came to identify himself as a moderate between the two factions. When it came to issues such as civil service reform, corruption, meritocracy and the spoils system he tended to side with the half-breeds. However, when it came to currency, radical republicanism and black suffrage he tended to side with the stalwarts.

During his time in the House of Representatives he tended to vote along his own moral interests on certain bills. For example, he was very much opposed to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and was one of the 37 votes against the bill in the house (34 out the nay votes were by Republicans). However, he was very much for the Passenger Act of 1882 and the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act.

Assassination of James Garfield[]

On July 2nd, 1881, Tad Lincoln had just arrived at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington DC after returning from Chicago to visit his family and move his mother into the family home to make sure she would be better taken care of until she got better. At 9:30am he had just set foot into the waiting area of the train station when he saw President James Garfield then saw a disturbed man walk closely up behind him, going to see the situation he heard two gunshots go off and saw Garfield raise his arms up in agony. Following this, Lincoln immediately chased Guiteau and tackled him to the ground right before he got to the exit. Guiteau was then cuffed by officer Patrick Kearney. Following the shooting and the events that had just happened, once he had calmed down Lincoln left the station where he ran into his older brother Robert, then Secretary of War where he remarked "Presidents often have the misfortune of being near us".

Re-election Disappointment[]

Following the 1880 census the state government had to redraw the maps and following the re-districting of the 9th district this forced his base to a less Republican friendly area and in 1882 he lost the election campaign by a mere 387 votes in a Democratic wave year where they picked up 68 seats in the house. Following this loss, Lincoln decided to devote more time to his family and authored his first book a memoir of his father. Using the money from the book sales he bought his family a nicer home in Joliet, Illinois in March 1883 it was a 4-5 bedroom, 2-bathroom house. He then spent the summer of 1883 in southwest in Unita County, Wyoming where he built-up his ranch there and started to take more to logging like his father and to temporarily get away from politics and also took up ranching. His ranch Lincoln Ranch would grow to 500 acres by 1895 next to the Wyoming Range of mountains. In October 1883 he returned to Illinois where he decided to consider a career at the state level although he did return to the ranch for a one-month vacation in summer 1884 so that he and his wife could clear their heads following their infant daughter Hannah's premature death.

Governor of Illinois (1885-1890)[]

Road to the Governorship[]

In 1883, when Lincoln’s father-in-law Shelby Moore Cullom became Senator he was forced to give up his position as Governor of Illinois. Following this Lieutenant Governor, John M Hamilton relaxed Cullom on February 15th, 1883. When John H Hamilton wasn’t nominated for governor for the 1884 election cycle Tad Lincoln decided to run for the party's nomination. Tad ran against Richard J Oglesby for the Republican Party nomination where the two debated. While Oglesby campaigned on hard currency, Lincoln campaigned on the concept of tariffs and being an anti-corruption candidate. In the end Lincoln won the caucus with 420 delegates to Oglesby 169. In the 1884 election Tad Lincoln defeated Democratic candidate Carter Harrison sr campaigning on his ability to connect with the common people and his public speaking ability winning 50.86% of the vote to Harrison’s 46.27%. Lincoln won 342,486 votes to Harrison’s 311,577 votes.

Governorship[]

On January 16th, 1885, Tad Lincoln was sworn in as the 19th Governor of Illinois and began immediately working to improve the politics of the state. At 31 years, 9 months and 12 days Tad Lincoln became the youngest ever governor in Illinois state history, the youngest in the nation at the time and the youngest state governor since Louisiana’s Samuel C Warmoth in 1872. Lincoln, his pregnant wife Ella and their then two children Abraham II and Mary moved into the governors mansion in late-January, 1885.

During his time as governor he cracked down on corruption within the state government, worked to reform the civil service system, implement compulsory education and help set up public parks across the state. In 1885, Lincoln signed the Education Act of 1885 which made education mandatory to all state residents aged 7 to 14. He also signed the Public Parks Act of 1885 which helped increase the number and size of public parks within the state. In 1886, Lake Park in Chicago began being expanded past the railroad lines into the lake. He also began holding daily press briefings in 1887 which was a political innovation of the time, realizing the power of the press and charismatic leadership. He made Illinois State Treasurer, and renowned Civil War veteran John Corson Smith his Lieutenant Governor.

During his term as Governor, he pioneered many political innovations such as gaining support through public speeches, daily press conferences, photo opportunities and public press events, the opening of the complete Illinois State Capitol building in March, 1888, for example. The creation of the Chicago Sanitary District and got the Illinois State Assembly to spearhead the states then largest public works project, the reversing of the Chicago river. He even pioneered the idea of press photography of helping out recovery efforts in natural disasters which he did in Metropolis, Illinois following the March 27, 1890 tornado outbreak. A tactic he would also use to help the city of Galveston, Texas recover and boost morale and public and private support for recovery efforts after the Great 1900 Galveston Hurricane.

Haymarket Affair[]

On May 3rd 1886, a peaceful demonstration of disgruntled machinery workers took place at Haymarket Square in Chicago where workers demanded an eight-hour workday. The following day an unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at the police as they acted to disperse the meeting, and the bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians; dozens of others were wounded. In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were convicted of conspiracy and sentenced. The evidence was that one of the defendants may have built the bomb, but none of those on trial had thrown it, and only two of the eight were at the Haymarket at the time. The following trail resulted in seven of the eight men being sentenced to death and another being given a fifteen year prison sentence.

Tad Lincoln, personally disagreed with the trial and thought of the sentencing as unjust based on a lack of evidence. In January, 1887, Lincoln reduced the sentence on two of them from life to just 15 years, pardoned six of them in August on the overwhelming evidence that they were not present at the Haymarket Affair at the time of the bombing and on November 5th, 1887 he pardoned the remaining victim, criticizing the trial. When one of the defendants brothers brought forth evidence connecting the bombing to the Pinkertons, Lincoln realized he had to act fast in order to prevent potentially innocent men from being executed. This move earned him the support of the working class in the state of Illinois. Lincoln greatly criticized the trials as saying it went completely against the motto of "innocent until proven guilty".

Second Term as Governor[]

In 1888, Lincoln handily won re-election as Governor with 55.15% of the vote while his democratic opponent John M Palmer won just 41.47% of the vote. This was the largest percentage of the popular vote won by a single candidate since ironically, the then Republican candidate John M Palmer won 55.6% of the vote in 1868. This would also be the highest margin of any gubernational candidate until Charles Deneen in 1904. The 13.58% margin in the popular vote was also the largest margin since August C Finch won with 87% of the popular vote in 1848. Lincoln received 412,769 votes to Palmer’s 310,381 votes marking the first time in history a candidate for governor of Illinois received 400,000 votes and the first and only 100,000 vote margin until John Riley Tanner in 1896.

During Lincoln’s second term as Governor he managed to petition congress to get approval to have Chicago host the 1893 World’s Fair and managed to pass a state law banning poll taxes and literacy tests in elections. During this time he became more known in national politics as well, and even proposed to the state legislature to eventually granting women the right to vote.

Rising Political Figure[]

Assistant Secretary of the Navy[]

On July 18th, 1890, Tad Lincoln resigned his position as governor to be assistant secretary of the navy under President Benjamin Harrison. During his time as assistant Secretary he served under Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin F Tracy where he worked to help expand and modernize the navy. During his time as assistant secretary the Navy constructed three new battleships and promoted reform for the service and agreed with Tracy on many measures to help change the nations naval strategy from coastal defense to offense. It was during his tenure as Assistant Secretary of the Navy where he proved himself again and was promised to potentially become Secretary of State during Harrison’s second term. Unfortunately, in 1892, Benjamin Harrison failed to win re-election and following the inauguration of Grover Cleveland in 1893, he was replaced by William McAdoo as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

Growing Influence and Family Tensions[]

In 1893, a major banking panic occurred sending the nation into an economic depression. In 1893, he wrote a biography about his fathers time in the White House and about the consequences of important decision making. During this time he took advantage of the economic misfortune of the country, visiting the coal strikers in 1894 and taking notes of their demands and concerns. On May 11th, 1894, at the Pullman Factory in Chicago a massive strike broke out which spread into a nationwide movement across 27 states. Lincoln, condemned the federal response as hostile and counterproductive, claiming that compromise could be reached between workers and industrialists. At one point he called the concept of company towns "industrial plantations". This combined with Robert’s cold, indifferent treatment of their mother caused a major rift in the relationship with his older brother Robert in which Tad described his brother Robert. In an 1894 diary entry Tad would describe his brother as a "well educated lawyer and businessman despite being as dumb as a box of rocks as dull as a rusted spoon and cold as an arctic breeze with the personality of a stale piece of bread who would send his own mother to prison if it meant not having to be the slightest bit burdened by her."

During the years 1893 to 1896 Lincoln wrote six books, using the money from his book sales he bought and built his family a seven-bedroom 9,700 square foot home at 100 Pembroke Lane, Lake Forest, Illinois moving them from Joliet to Lake Forest on November 10th 1893 to help take care of his mother and her ailing health after she fell off a ladder. Returning to Illinois from one of his ranching trips in September 1893 in Denver, Colorado, Lincoln noticed the dramatic economic downturn in the city and how many homes went vacant and tent cities sprouted up in just two months. He vowed to do something about it and that’s when he decided he would run for president in 1896. On April 15th, 1895, 30 years to the day of his fathers assassination, his mother, Mary suffered a stroke that caused her to lapse and the following day April 16th, 1895, she died at the age of 76. Robert and Tad briefly reconciled for their mother’s funeral and attended the funeral where she was buried next to her husband and two prematurely deceased sons Edward and Willie. To get the death of his mother off of his mind he decided to spend the next four months of his life with his family at the family ranch in Wyoming where he would get his head in order and write two books. In the 1894 midterm elections, the republicans gained two senators and a record 110 representatives while the Democrats lost 105 seats, sending the Republicans from a 143-198 minority to a 253-93 supermajority.

Election of 1896[]

Obtaining the Nomination[]

Feeling as though the nation was starting to lose its way and that while major progress had been made since the end of the civil war, the nation was slowly starting to stagnate. In 1895, with the backing of former President Benjamin Harrison, newspaper William Randolph Hurst he decided to run for president in 1896. He decided to run his campaign with massive public speeches and gaining popular support. During the winter of 1895-96 Lincoln, he made 56 speeches and 51 cities where he argued that the United States was entering a new century and brought intellectual charismatic campaigning, gathering support of newspapers and the people, undermining the "money and favors" tactics of William McKinley.

Using the power of political image and name, Lincoln hoped to gain the nomination, to guarantee the nomination 463 delegates were needed. On June 16th, 1896, the Republican Convention was held in St Louis and the first ballot was cast where Lincoln had 315 delegates, second only to McKinley who had 420.5. In the debates and speeches, McKinley and Lincoln while agreeing on foreign policy, women’s suffrage, equal work for equal pay, Lincoln was more moderate on currency reform, the gold standard and immigration. While McKinley drew the support of the delegates from the south and his base in Ohio, Lincoln drew support from the delegates in the northern plains, west and Great Lakes, except Ohio. The speeches and debates tended to work against McKinley since Lincoln was a better public speaker and stood over half a foot taller than McKinley.

McKinley’s lead started to slowly dwindle, and in the second ballot Lincoln’s number of delegates increased to 353 while McKinley’s dropped to 384.5. In the 3rd ballot as Iowa Senator William Allison dropped out of the race. Then by the fourth ballot Lincoln had overtaken McKinley with 461.5 delegates to McKinley’s 393 needing just two more for the nomination. In the fifth ballot Lincoln finally secured the nomination with 525 delegates to McKinley’s 378.5.

General Election Campaign[]

During the convention Lincoln took a moderate position on the currency question. When Bryan received the nomination, Lincoln, took a stance of moderate bimetallism in support of silver and the gold standard. While the unemployment rate started to slowly rise over the course of 1896 from around 12% in the beginning of the year to about 14% by November. Bryan’s financial radicalism sent bankers into a panic, which led Lincoln to take a more neutral stance on the currency issue proclaiming that Bryan’s stance will lead to economic instability and financial ruin. Lincoln campaigned on a platform of naval expansion, a high tariff, better working conditions, a canal in Central America, women’s rights, equal pay for equal work and better living conditions.

Over the course of the campaign, Lincoln made roughly 210 speeches across 57 cities in 18 states. During the time he made daily press conferences, answering questions to the public whenever he could. The republicans ran 200 pamphlets, meanwhile, most newspapers refused to support Bryan, while Lincoln had support from many Republican newspapers and William Randolph Hurst. Lincoln’s campaign slogan in 1896 was "Liberty and Peace Abroad, Prosperity, Unity and Rejuvenation at Home". At the convention the almost 30 years older, much more experienced former Senate Pro-tempor and Secretary of the Treasury, John Sherman was selected as Lincoln’s running mate. Many in the Republican party opposed the move, as the man was in his 70s and starting to slowly decline mentally, but Lincoln insisted saying that his connections and reputation in the Senate will help him pass legislation faster.

The battleground proved to be the west and the northern plains, while the northeast and Midwest supported Lincoln and the south and southern planes supported Bryan. By the end of September, the support on the silver issue started to wane and issues about employee-employer relations, tariffs and unemployment became the main talking points of the election. On November 3rd, the election was held, and Lincoln won 52.4% of the popular vote, along with 288 electoral votes breaking Ulysses S Grant’s record of 286 set in 1872. The only city outside of the south of more than 100,000 people that Bryan won was Denver, Colorado by a mere 59 votes. In the congressional elections, the Republicans gained 3 seats in the Senate giving them a 47-31 majority in the Senate and lost 38 seats in the house giving them a 216-114 supermajority.

Presidency (1897-1905)[]

Inauguration and Appointments[]

Lincoln was sworn in as President on March 4th, 1897, as his wife and older brother looked on. Lincoln had a lengthy inaugural address where he talked about fairness, equality, unity, mentioned the need for employers of industry and employees to compromise and work together to achieve a fairer outcome for working people. During his inaugural address he also stated that he will bring an end to the hard times caused by the panic of 1893, hold those responsible accountable. He also said that the United States does not want any foreign aggression and will not seek territorial aggression.

Lincoln’s most controversial choice was John H Kyle (an agrarian populist) for Secretary of Agriculture, he supported the decision claiming who would be better as secretary of Agriculture than an agrarian who grew up and supported himself as a farmer and has a background in civil engineering. Lincoln, just like his father did with William H Seward, made his main opponent, William McKinley the nomination Secretary of War. Lincoln made John Milton Hay (whom Lincoln first met when Hay helped out with his father’s 1860 campaign) his Secretary of State. Lincoln also made a southern Republican, Ethan Hitchcock his Secretary of the Interior. Lincoln enthusiastically made Theodore Roosevelt his Assistant Secretary of the Navy claiming that he saw a lot of himself in the young upcoming New York City police commissioner.

First Term (1897-1901)[]

Domestic Policy[]

Trust-Busting and Regulation[]

Lincoln a supporter of fair and free enterprise and an ardent supporter of the 1890 Sherman Anti Trust Act, threatened to use it on multiple occasions. Lincoln believed that since the end of the Civil War, a few big corporations had been building themselves up buying up others and monopolizing the entire country and Lincoln wanted to help end that trend. During his presidency he brought up 43 antitrust suits, more than all his predecessors combined. He began regulating US Steel and Standard Oil, to the point that by 1900 Standard Oil decided to stopped trying to force out competitors by selling at a loss.

Because of his parties majorities after the 1898 election, Lincoln created the Department of Commerce and Labor which included the Bureau of Corporations. Following large gains in the Senate in the 1898 election, Many in the legislature worried about Lincoln’s ambitions and attempts at regulation. Lincoln’s willingness to exercise power included sanitation of city streets, the creation of rural mail service, promotion of the City Beautiful movement, railroad safety regulation with uniform standard measurements, infrastructure safety standards. Also created the Office of Education.

Anti-Corruption Investigations[]

Immediately following his inauguration, Lincoln led a series of investigations headed by the Department of Justice into the cause of the Panic of 1893 and ordered the Secretary of Treasury onto what policies to implement to make sure an event like that could never happen again while maintaining a free banking system. During the course of the investigation it was found that reliance on high prices of commodity imports, over investing in railroads and an oversupply of silver led to the crisis. During the events there was a confessional hearing with former chairman of the Philadelphia Reading Railroad chairman Archibald A MacLeod, where it was discovered that he led many over investment schemes. It also marked the first time that big trusts were ever held accountable for their actions.

Mining Strikes of 1897-98[]

In July, 1897, a massive strike broke out when the UMW (United Mine Workers) decided to strike across the country with 100,000 workers. As the weeks wore on and tensions grew Lincoln feared that it would be a matter of time before, coal supplies would start running short for factories and railroads, the weather would start to cool and there would be coal shortages across the country. Lincoln also suspected that a massive public incident could invoke press attention and lead to negotiations with the head of the UMW, coal mines and the government in a peaceful negotiation to give the workers what they want and the corporations avoiding strike scrutiny. In Lattimer, Pennsylvania on August 15th, 1897, 400 miners went on strike in the region demanding wage increases and an eight-hour workday. During the next two weeks as tensions rose, Lincoln felt this was his chance to get industrialists and workers to see eye-to-eye and work together.

On September 15th, 1897, Lincoln called a meeting between UMW President, Michael D Ratchford, JP Morgan, head of the Coal and Iron Police, President of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Joseph Smith Harris. Using the negative press of the Lattimer massacre and with the UMW willing to negotiate and compromise a deal was met decreasing shifts down from 10-12 hours a day down to 8-10 hours a day, with a pay rate of $1.60 a day with $.40 a ton rate with an increase to $.50 a ton for every ton of coal mines after three tons in a single day. The following year the Illinois Coal War he would do the same tactic with head of the Chicago & Alton Railroad and the Theil Detective Service Company and when Illinois Governor John Riley Tanner took a neutral response threatening to use the Illinois National Guard to shoot at strike breakers arriving into the state he will shoot at them, it was official the tide was starting to change in the country.

Wilmington Insurrection of 1898[]

On November 10th, 1898, a white supremacist militia of 2,000 overthrow the democratically elected government of Wilmington, North Carolina. The militia led by attorney Charles Aycock, Furnifold Simmons, "The Secret Nine" and local newspaper owner Josephus Daniels. The militia targeted black residents, businesses, locally elected Fusionists. This was the first and only successful coup in American history. Upon hearing the news Lincoln was outraged, and claimed that this was an attempt to "bring back the old ways of the antebellum south".

In response to this city residents called for help to President Thomas Lincoln to help recover from the damage to which he responded immediately sending down troops to help recover and repair the damage not waiting nor seeking a request for approval from North Carolina Governor Daniel Lindsay Russell. Three days after the incident Lincoln spoke at an all-black Lincoln University where he said "this will be the first and last time there is ever such an event caused by such irrational burning hatred of fellow Americans of one race or political party against fellow Americans of other races and political parties." He also noted that this is not what his father sacrificed his life for and called for Alfred Moore Waddell to resign his post as mayor and wait for the next election cycle and let the people decide. Following this North Carolina Senator, Jeter Connelly Pritchard became one of Lincoln's biggest supporters in the Senate. Following this in 1900, with larger majorities in congress, the Republicans passed the reissuing of the 1890 Lodge Bill by Henry Cabot Lodge that guaranteed federal protection for African American voting rights. Although, Lincoln was personally outraged when the Supreme Court struck down the legislation as unconstitutional in February 1902. To combat this he called down every Republican Governor in the country and convinced as many of them as he could to pass legislation in their states banning poll taxes and literacy tests. When critics called him a tyrant or going to far with voting rights he said "I am trying to give as many citizens as possible the right to vote without physical or legal intimidation and you call me undemocratic for it".

Foreign Policy[]

Spanish-American War[]

For decades Cuban rebels had campaigned for freedom from Spain and in 1895 the conflict had grown into a war for Cuban independence. As the conflict grew, Spanish reprisals for the rebels grew and public sentiment in the United States became more favorable towards the rebels. However while public opinion called for war to liberate Cuba, Lincoln favored a peaceful approach, hoping that through negotiation, Spain might be convinced to grant Cuba independence, or at least to allow the Cubans some measure of autonomy. The United States and Spain began negotiations on the subject in 1897, but it became clear that Spain would never concede Cuban independence, while the rebels (and their American supporters) would never settle for anything less.

In January 1898, Spain promised some concessions to the rebels, but when American riots broke out on Havana, Lincoln agreed to send the battleship USS Maine. On February 15, the Maine exploded and sank with 266 men killed. Public attention focused on the crisis and the consensus was that regardless of who set the bomb, Spain had lost control over Cuba. Negotiations with Spain continued as the court considered the evidence, but on March 20, the court ruled that the Maine was blown up by an underwater mine. As pressure for war mounted in Congress, Lincoln continued to negotiate for Cuban independence. As Lincoln ordered two naval warships to be stationed off the Florida Keys to make the US presence of a threat more known, he did not ask for war, but Congress made the decision and declared war on April 20.

The expansion of the telegraph and the development of the telephone gave Lincoln greater control over the day-to-day management of the war than previous presidents had enjoyed, and he used the new technologies to direct the army's and navy's movements as far as he was able. Over the course of the war Lincoln looked to strategic advice from his entire War Department about the conflict.

Within a fortnight, the Navy had its first victory in the Philippines at the Battle of Manila Bay, where Commodore George Dewey destroyed the Spanish Fleet. By the time the troops arrived in the Philippines at the end of June 1898, Lincoln had decided that Spain would be required to surrender the archipelago to the United States. He professed to be open to all views on the subject; however, he believed that as the war progressed, the public would come to demand retention of the islands as a prize of war.

Meanwhile, in the Caribbean theater, a large force of regulars and volunteers gathered near Tampa, Florida, for an invasion of Cuba. After lengthy delays, the army, led by Major General William Rufus Shafter, on June 22nd landed at Santiago de Cuba. Shafter's army engaged the Spanish forces on July 2 in the Battle of San Juan Hill. In an intense day-long battle, the American force was victorious, although both sides suffered heavy casualties. The next day, Spain's Caribbean squadron, which had been sheltering in Santiago's harbor, broke for the open sea and was destroyed by the North Atlantic Squadron in the largest naval battle of the war. Shafter laid siege to the city of Santiago, which surrendered on July 17, placing Cuba under effective American control. Lincoln and Miles also ordered an invasion of Puerto Rico which they met little to no resistance. The distance from Spain and the destruction of the Spanish navy made resupply impossible, and the Spanish government began to look for a way to end the war.

Peace and Territorial Gain[]

Lincoln’s cabinet agreed with him that Spain must leave Cuba and Puerto Rico, but they disagreed on the Philippines, with some wishing to annex the entire archipelago and some wishing only to retain a naval base in the area. Although public sentiment seemed to favor annexation of the Philippines, several prominent political leaders—including Democrats Bryan, and Cleveland, and the newly formed the Anti-Imperialist League and made their sentiments known. Lincoln proposed to open negotiations with Spain on the basis of Cuban liberation and Puerto Rican annexation, with the final status of the Philippines subject to further discussion. He stood firmly in that demand even as the military situation in Cuba began to deteriorate when the American army was struck with yellow fever. Spain ultimately agreed to a ceasefire on those terms on August 12, and treaty negotiations began in Paris in September 1898. The talks continued until December 18, when the Treaty of Paris was signed. The United States acquired Puerto Rico and the Philippines as well as the island of Guam, and invoking the Monroe Doctrine, Spain relinquished Cuba and all remaining territories in the Western Hemisphere, along with a payment of $15-million. Lincoln had difficulty convincing the Senate to approve the treaty by the requisite two-thirds vote, but his lobbying, and that of Vice President Sherman, eventually saw success, as the Senate voted in favor on February 6, 1899, 57 to 27, after which Sherman retired due to failing health.

Philippines[]

Immediately following the acquisition of the Philippines, Lincoln had JP Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt II and Andrew Carnegie agree to contracts to help take their operations overseas by establishing railroads, a steelworks, a massive dry dock shipyard in the Philippines all employing Filipinos in exchange for fairer treatment of their employees and competition. Fighting between the forces of the United States and the forces of the Philippine Republic broke out on February 4, 1899, in what became known as the 1899 Battle of Manila. Hoping to quell tensions, On June 2, 1899, the First Philippine Republic officially declared war against the United States. Lincoln drawing influence from the military occupation of the South following the Civil War, decided to occupy the region militarily and negotiate an unconditional end of hostilities with Emilio Aguinaldo or further action will be taken. The war ended on July 2nd, 1900 with the Philippines becoming a commonwealth to the United States with the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo and an unconditional surrender. Work began on the naval base and steel works in October, 1900.

Hawaii[]

During the war, Lincoln also pursued the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii. There was strong American support for annexation, and the need for Pacific bases in wartime became clear after the Battle of Manila. Lincoln came to office as a supporter of annexation, and lobbied Congress to act, warning that to do nothing would invite a royalist counter-revolution or a Japanese takeover. Foreseeing difficulty in getting two-thirds of the Senate to approve a treaty of annexation, Lincoln instead supported the effort of Democratic Representative Francis G Newlands to accomplish this as a joint resolution from both chambers of congress.

Civil Rights[]

In the wake of Lincoln’s election in 1896, black people were hopeful of progress towards equality. Lincoln had spoken out against lynching. Lincoln made quite a few appointments of black people to low-level and mid-level government posts, and received praise for that, the appointments were the most they had received under previous Republican administrations since the Grant Administration 20 years earlier.

The Lincoln administration's response to racial violence was as much as the social conditions of racism at the time would allow, causing him to barely maintain black support. When black postmasters at Hogansville, Georgia in 1897 and at Lake City, South Carolina, the following year, were assaulted he immediately condemned the events.

When a group of white supremacists violently overthrew the duly elected government of Wilmington, North Carolina, on November 10, 1898, in an event that came to be recognized as the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, Lincoln responded to all requests by black leaders to send in federal marshals or federal troops to protect black citizens, and accepted city residents' appeals for help to recover from the widespread destruction of the predominantly black neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Under pressure from black leaders, Lincoln required the War Department to commission black officers above the rank of lieutenant. Lincoln toured the South in late 1898, promoting sectional and racial reconciliation. The relationship between Tad and Booker T Washington came to resemble the relationship between his father and Fredrick Douglas. Then later his son Thomas Jr and John Hamilton Houston.

Media[]

Seeing the effective use of the press and drawing on inspiration from his father Lincoln created the Press Corps drawing on his predecessors increasing ties of the White House and newspaper correspondents and kept the official White House stenographer George B Cortyleu on as unofficial press Secretary. He personally visited soldiers in the Philippines during the Philippine war, in the summer of 1899 taking a photography crew along with him, made friends with prominent journalists including the rival Democrat, William Randolph Hearst. Lincoln made the White House the center of news every day, providing interviews and photo opportunities.

In September 1900 he took a photography crew to help the victims of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane and garner public support and funding for the reconstruction of the city and construction of a wall barrier. This move would later be replicated by his successor Theodore Roosevelt during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, Irvine Root in the 1927 Mississippi River Flood, Franklin D Roosevelt in the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, 1937 Ohio River Flood and the 1938 New England Hurricane, his son Thomas Lincoln jr in the overseas stations of World War II, the 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane, the 1951 Missouri River Floods and John F Kennedy in 1965 following Hurricane Betsy.

Election of 1900[]

Midterms of 1898 and Elections of 1899[]

With unemployment decreasing from 14% in 1896 and 1897 to 11.5% in 1898 and following the peaceful compromise resolutions in the mining strikes, and the major success of the Spanish-American war Republicans were generally successful in the 1898 elections all across the country, except the South as usual. During this 1898 election cycle the Republicans lost only 7 seats in the House of Representatives and the Republicans and the Democrats gained 27 going from a 216-114 supermajority to a 209-141 majority. In the Senate however, a major landslide occurred with the Republicans gaining 9 seats going from a 47-32 majority to a 56-27 majority supermajority. This helped Lincoln to push his legislation through Congress a little easier and helped the Republican Party slightly realign from mostly business and protectionist interests to a more progressive minded agenda. With unemployment declining from 11.5% in 1898 to 7.6% in 1899 Republicans were generally successful in state and local elections around the country. Lincoln’s popularity and image definitely guaranteed his nomination for the 1900 election.

Nomination and Replacing John Sherman[]

Obtaining the re-nomination from his party for re-election was not difficult for Lincoln, the only opponent he really had was Ohio Senator, Mark Hanna, whom unwilling to lose his influence sided with the President and agreed to nominate him. The New York Republican Party’s boss, Thomas C Platt, whom often disagreed with Lincoln, did not really like him very much and hated popular Governor of New York, Theodore Roosevelt, whom Lincoln actually admired, agreed with on multiple issues and became close friends with. While many in the Republican Party thought that making Roosevelt the running mate would completely stall his career and end any chance of a Roosevelt presidency, Lincoln and Roosevelt both agreed that having Roosevelt as Vice President would assure Lincoln a good successor in the 1904 election.

On June 19-21, 1900 Lincoln ran unopposed in the presidential nomination at the Republican Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Theodore Roosevelt received all but 1 delegate for nomination as Vice President. By nominating Roosevelt Platt thought he had gotten Roosevelt out of New York politics for good. The first democratic candidate to drop out of the race was Admiral of the Navy George Dewey on May 17th, 1900 led little opposition for Bryan. However, on May 30th, 1900, William Jennings-Bryan while greatly opposed to his stance on foreign policy, generally agreed with Lincoln’s stance on strikes, trusts, regulation and siding with interests of the common people and noting Lincoln’s popularity decided not to run in the 1900 election. Democrats without a clear party leader, had a close ballot race with one where former Vice President, Adlai Stevenson I won the nomination with 507 delegates.

General Election[]

During the months leading up to the election the issues had shifted from 1896, although free silver would occasionally come up, with Stevenson being much less staunch on the issue than Bryan it was no longer a hot bed issue that it was in the previous election. While Stevenson tried to attack Lincoln as an imperialist, Lincoln attacked Stevenson on his record as Vice President and his former administration’s handling of the Panic of 1893, the Pullman Strike, and the 1894 mining strikes.

Lincoln managed to make the campaign pervaded by a season of goodwill, and Stevenson lacking Lincoln’s charisma and public speaking ability, combined with Lincoln’s popularity generally seemed destined to lose the election. Democrats while outspoken against imperialism, agreed with Republicans on fair treatment of Filipinos and Puerto Ricans. Also, the unemployment decreasing to 5% in 1900 and the Panic of 1893 becoming a recent hard memory didn’t help out Stevenson either. Lincoln’s campaign slogan for 1900 was "Four More Years of Unity, Liberty and Prosperity".

Results[]

Lincoln won the election in a landslide victory taking every Northern and Western state. He became the first Republican to win the state of Missouri since Ulysses S Grant in 1868 and the the first and only Republican to win Kentucky twice until Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956. Denying corruption and public ally returning campaign contributions from US Steel and Standard Oil, helped his image too. In the election Lincoln won 58.1% of the popular vote to Stevenson’s 37.1%, winning 35 out of 46 states. The 21.0% margin in the popular vote was the largest of any presidential candidate since James Monroe in 1820 along with 58.1% of the popular vote being the highest of any candidate since Monroe in 1820 as well. In the electoral college Lincoln won 335 electoral votes while Stevenson only won 111 making it the largest landslide in the electoral college since Ulysses S Grant in 1872. In the congressional elections Republicans gained 4 seats in the Senate going from a 60-30 majority as the populist party collapsed. In the House of Representatives the Republicans gained 33 seats going from a 209-141 majority to a 242-111 supermajority meaning that anything Lincoln wanted to pass unless to radical would pass.

Second Term (1901-1905)[]

Lincoln’s second term in office would be marked by some changes. He replaced his Attorney General with his long time friend since his college days at Harvard, William Henry Moody, with whom he would later appoint to the Supreme Court. He also realized he could become more ambitious in his reforms as he no longer had to worry about appealing to party bosses for nomination for reelection. He proposed an income tax and the 16th amendment in 1901 along with the direct election of Senators, with the help of Nelson W Aldrich and his father-in-law Shelby Moore Cullom.

Domestic Policy[]

Regulation and Reform[]

During his second term in office Lincoln became slightly more ambitious with safety regulation and bridging the gap between industry, workers, consumers and the financial sector. Lincoln began listing a plan for reforms his influence in the party was slowly starting to wane. In 1904, the Federal Trade Commission was created with the hope of enforcing anti-trust law, the promotion of fair competition and consumer protection. He also began rallying public support against child labor. On July 20th, 1902, Oklahoma became the 45th state of the United States. In 1903, reform passed on presidential nominations allowing for more direct primaries where candidates would be elected by the people then chosen by the convention.

Another major victor during his second term was the passage of the 16th amendment on February 13th, 1903 which allowed congress the power to levy an income tax without appropriating it from the states, effective or ruling the 1895 Supreme Court decision of Pollock vs Farmers Loan co. Eventually, Lincoln started promoting the idea of banning child labor, but it failed to pass congress. He also managed to work with congress to help propose an amendment allowing the direct election of US Senators and the 17th amendment passed through Congress on March 18th, 1904.

Coal Strikes[]

In May 1902, anthracite coal miners went on strike threatening a national energy shortage. After threatening the coal operators with intervention by federal troops, Lincoln won their agreement to dispute arbitration by a commission, which succeeded in stopping the strike. The accord with JP Morgan resulted in the miners getting more pay for fewer hours, but with limited union recognition.

Foreign Policy[]

Latin America and the Panama Canal[]

During Lincoln’s second term in office focused the nation's overseas ambitions on the Caribbean, especially locations that had a bearing on the defense of his 1896 campaign promise the Panama Canal. Lincoln also increased the size of the navy, and by the end of his second term the United States had more battleships than any other country besides Britain. The Panama Canal, when it opened in 1912, allowed the U.S. Navy to rapidly move back and forth from the Pacific to the Caribbean to European waters.

In December 1902, the Germans, British, and Italians blockaded the ports of Venezuela in order to pay back delinquent loans. Lincoln was particularly concerned with the motives of German Emperor Wilhelm II. He succeeded in getting the three nations to agree to arbitration by tribunal at The Hague and successfully defused the crisis. The latitude granted to the Europeans by the arbiters was in part responsible for the "Lincoln-Roosevelt Corollary" which infused the Monroe Doctrine.

The pursuit of an Isthmus canal in Central America had two possible routes, through Nicaragua and Panama, which was then a rebellious region of Colombia. The Panama Canal was officially opened on February 20th, 1913 in an opening ceremony held by then President Roosevelt.

Japan[]

The American annexation of Hawaii in 1898 was stimulated in part by fear of Japan would dominate of seize the Hawaiian Republic. Similarly, Germany was the alternative to American takeover of the Philippines in 1900, and Tokyo strongly preferred the U.S. to take over. As the U.S. became a naval world power, it needed to find a way to avoid a military confrontation in the Pacific with Japan.

In the Philippines after the local insurrection ended in early-1901, Lincoln wished to have a strong U.S. presence in the region as a symbol of democratic values and being a strong industrial naval presence to the Philippines but he did not envision any new acquisitions. One of Lincoln’s priorities during his presidency and afterwards, was the maintenance of friendly relations with Japan and helping modernize Korea. Lincoln believed that the Philippines could become its own country one day when it adopted democratic values and was capable of defending itself with a modern military and industrial base. He also believed in educating and modernizing the nation as well, sentiments similar to that of post-WWII US military occupation of Japan in OTL.

Assassination Attempt of 1901[]

Although Lincoln enjoyed meeting the public, Cortelyou was concerned with his security because of recent assassinations by anarchists in Europe, such as the assassination of King Umberto I of Italy the previous year. Twice he tried to remove a public reception from the president's rescheduled visit to the exposition. Lincoln refused, and Cortelyou arranged for additional security for the trip.

On September 5, Lincoln delivered his address at the fairgrounds before a crowd of 50,000. In his final speech, Lincoln urged reciprocity treaties with other nations to assure American manufacturers access to foreign markets, more universal access to education, healthcare and better cleaner homes, towns and cities. He intended the speech as a keynote to his plans for a second term.

A man in the crowd named Leon Czolgosz hoped to assassinate Lincoln. He had managed to get close to the presidential podium, but did not fire, uncertain of hitting his target. After hearing a speech by anarchist, Emma Goldman in Cleveland, Czolgosz had decided to take action that he believed would advance the cause. After his failure to get close enough on September 5, Czolgosz waited until the next day at the Temple of Music on the exposition grounds, where the president was to meet the public. Czolgosz concealed his gun in a handkerchief and, when he reached the head of the line, shot Lincoln once in the abdomen and again in the thigh and again in the arm when Lincoln grabbed Czolgosz hand and in a injury rested adrenaline rush wrestled him to the ground taking his gun and urging security to take him away before the crowd killed him.

Lincoln urged his aides to break the news gently to Ella, and to call off the mob that had set upon Czolgosz, a request that may have saved his assassin's life. He continued to try to shake hands until the line was over but after thirteen more handshakes he was bleeding more profusely and the crowd was dwindling from the pandemonium. Lincoln was taken to the exposition aid station, where the doctor was able to locate all three bullets. Although a primitive x-ray machine was being exhibited on the exposition grounds, it was not used. Lincoln was taken to the home of John G. Milburn, president of the Pan-American Exposition Company.

In the days after the shooting, Lincoln appeared to improve and doctors issued increasingly optimistic bulletins. Members of the Cabinet, who had rushed to Buffalo on hearing the news, dispersed, and Vice President Roosevelt departed on a camping trip to the Adirondacks. On the morning of September 13, Lincoln’s condition had improved to the point where he was released from hospital care and ordered to not to any strenuous physical activity until all the wounds had healed. Czolgosz, put on trial for attempted murder of a US President, was found guilty, sentenced to death on September 26 and executed by electric chair on October 29, 1901.

Supreme Court Nominations[]

During the course of his Presidency he knew the only way this country could change for the long term without his efforts getting derailed was to appoint like-minded people into the courts. During his presidency he nominated three Supreme Court Justices including one of them being a long time friend since his college days, William Henry Moody and would later replace him with Charles Bonaparte in December, 1902 after nominating Moody to the Supreme Court following the death of Horace Gray.

Oliver Wendell Holmes - January 21st, 1898

William Henry Moody - December 2nd, 1902

Hampton Lawrence Carson - February 23rd, 1903

Post-Presidency (1905-1930)[]

Election of 1904[]

Lincoln enjoyed being president and was still very popular in every area of the country except the South by the end of his presidency. However, Lincoln felt that he should not run for a third term as it would break Washington’s president set in 1796, and set the county towards dictatorship. The 1904 Republican nomination contest marked the introduction of the presidential preference primary. Lincoln didn’t have much trouble finding a successor, in which he chose his vice President the young, charismatic, energetic Theodore Roosevelt. Having the current Vice President as a presidential candidate was a move that had only happened twice in American history, 1796 with John Adams and 1836 with Martin Van Buren. Many thought that Secretary of State: John Milton Hay would be his successor and many non-progressives and bosses in the Republican Party would’ve preferred such. At the 1904 Republican convention, many chanted for "four years more" of a Lincoln presidency, but Roosevelt won the nomination after Henry Cabot Lodge made it clear that Lincoln was not interested in a third term.

In the 1904 election, Roosevelt won easily, with 54.1% of the electoral vote over William Jennings-Bryan who got 54.2% of the electoral vote compared to Bryan’s 39.8%. In the electoral college Roosevelt won 322 electoral votes to Bryan’s 160, with 1904 being the first time Oklahoma ever counted in an election with 7 electoral votes. Roosevelt promoted a progressivism that promoted conservation, regulation, reform and imperialism. The 1904 Republican platform included proposals for amendments for Women’s Suffrage and banning child labor, black suffrage and ending the Russo-Japanese War. Roosevelt proved to have even more magnetism and energy than Lincoln did and with a worthy successor in the office and following Roosevelt’s brilliant conclusion to bringing a peaceful end to the Russo-Japanese War, Lincoln became an informal advisor to the President.

Lincoln would go on to describe the election of 1904 as the happiest moment in his life, the country had a secure future of progress and increasing prosperity and liberty and he had fully stepped out of his father’s shadow and created his own.

Every year after his presidency Lincoln would for a few months return to his ranch in Wyoming where he would enjoy the outdoors life of ranching, hunting and logging remaining active and energetic well into his 70s.

Traveling to Europe (1905 and 1910-11)[]

After his Presidency, Lincoln embarked on a tour of Europe stopping first in Greece in June 1905 where he managed to witness the assassination of Prime Minister Theodoros Deligiannis. He then traveled to Italy where he met the Pope and saw the Vatican and the Ancient Roman monuments. He then met with Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, French President Emile Loubet and King Edward VII of England. While there he gave speeches cautioning nations about increasing nationalism, military armaments and colonialization warning that it could possibly escalate into national pride outdoing reason and careful diplomacy and lead to a potential war. He then returned home to Illinois in October, 1905. In 1910 he was asked by President Roosevelt to represent the United States at the funeral of King Edward VII, just as Lincoln did with Roosevelt when Roosevelt was Vice President in 1901 during the funeral of Queen Victoria.

Politics[]

Roosevelt Administration[]

Lincoln continued to be heavily involved with politics and kept close ties with the Republican Party following his presidency. In 1908, he supported Roosevelt for another term in office, and supported Taft for the 1912 election, even though he very narrowly lost that election to democratic candidate Champ R Clark who won election that year by a 0.23% margin in the popular vote winning 272 electoral votes.

During Roosevelt’s presidency Lincoln supported the policies and reforms of the Roosevelt administration such as the eight-hour workday reform, the creation of the Federal Securities Commission, the creation of the Food and Drug Administration in 1906. The admission of Arizona and New Mexico as states in 1907. He also supported the 18th Amendment to the Constitution which was passed in 1911 allowing women to vote nationwide. The term for progressive Republicans became known as Tomadore Republicans (a combination of their first names Thomas Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt). He was even present at the 1907 opening ceremony of the Abraham Lincoln monument in Washington DC which was completed after 8 years of construction. Lincoln was also happy at the passing of the 18th amendment in 1911 which gave women the right to vote. He would support Roosevelt again for re-election in 1908 when Roosevelt defeated Democratic candidate George Gray with 57.6% of the popular vote, winning 36 states and 350 electoral votes to Gray's 37.1% of the popular vote 12 states and 140 electoral votes.

Clark Administration and World War I[]

Though Lincoln was disappointed with the treaty that apologized for the way the United States acquired the Panama Canal Zone, he was rather impressed and supportive of Clark’s progressive reforms. When the First World War began, Lincoln strongly supported the Allies and demanded an immediate embargo on Germany and other axis nations. In order to help stop the atrocities in Belgium, Lincoln argued that the US should be supplying weapons and resources to those fighting the Germans.

League of Nations[]

Lincoln also argued on Clark’s proposal of the League of Nations, which was also a brainchild of Secretary of State, Woodrow Wilson that it should make sure that no nation could not withdraw and that it needs to set a clear-cut list of rules on how to prevent warfare. Lincoln argued that if it didn’t have a no withdrawal clause and clear-cut set of rules and punishments against a nation invading other sovereign nations that it would be an ineffective paper organization. He became a staunch supporter of his former Vice President and close friend Theodore Roosevelt’s idea for the League of Peace. He also became increasingly disappointed with Clark’s handling of the war, said that the government should be more involved in price controls to help combat the inflation of 1916-20, and gearing industrial production towards the war effort. Following the war Lincoln was again disappointed in Clark’s handling of international diplomacy and the fourteen points, saying that an "unfinished war with everlasting harsh punishments will lead to unfinished resentments" and another war and instead called for an unconditional surrender of Germany much like the Confederacy at the end of the Civil War.

1920s and Final Years[]

1920 Election and Teddy Roosevelt’s Death[]

In the 1920 election Lincoln endorsed and campaigned for Leonard Wood, when many of the conservatives in the party who had hoped he would endorse either the current governor of his home state, Frank Oren Lowden or their compromise candidate Warren G Harding were left disappointed. The nomination was a close contested one and after the 23rd ballot Wood was nominated and in the general election won a surprising 60.5% of the popular vote and 417 electoral votes and 38 states in what was the biggest landslide in 100 years since James Monroe in 1820. Over the course of the decade he grew increasingly disappointed with the Wood administration and with President Leonard Wood in general, about his lack of enthusiasm for progressive reform and his increasing willingness to bow down to Congress.

Death[]

In 1926, Lincoln started to develop constipation issues similar to his father’s condition and started slowly developing atherosclerosis but maintained a healthy diet on the advice of his doctor. In May 1928 Lincoln who was rather active throughout most of his life and still what was described as "remarkably good physical condition and spirit for a man of seventy-five" came down with a case of arthritis which started to gradually limit his mobility over the next two years and make him lose roughly an inch in height. Doctors note a history of arthritis and cancer exists within the Lincoln family along with a history of depression.

On March 26, 1930 at his family home at Pembroke Manor in Lake Forest, Illinois, while shoveling his driveway during the end of a 19-inch snowstorm Lincoln came down with a severe case of bronchitis which he never fully recovered from. During the next couple of weeks as the weather improved to seasonable temperature for early-April followed by two 90-degree days on April 9-10 then followed by slightly below average then average seasonable temperatures throughout the month his condition gradually improved. But in late-June, 1930 his condition suddenly returned and by the end of August had evolved into pneumonia where he was eventually seen coughing blood despite a slight improvement in his energy. His appetite decreased and he began experiencing weight loss and growing weaker. During the final seven months of his life his body weight on his then 6’2" frame had dropped from 178 pounds to 137 pounds on the day of his death. By the time of his death through smart handling of money, wise investments and his work as an author he died with a net worth of roughly $1,100,000 ($20,030,000 in 2022 dollars) by the time of his death.

Writer[]

Lincoln was a prolific writer during his time writing with passion about a wide variety of subjects. His first book 1876: A Century of Adaptation (1879) was received fairly recently and promoted the idea of freedom, technological progress and human nature leading to America progressing as fast as it did within a century, it was fairly well received. He wrote a memoir in 1894 about his time in the White House and the years before his time at Harvard and how it helped shape him into the person he became.

Notable Works[]

• Lincoln, Thomas. (1879). 1876: A Century of Adaptation. Chicago: Poole Bros.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1879). Tad's Restless Wriggles. Chicago: Poole Bros.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1883). My Pa's Memoirs. Chicago: Poole Bros.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1884). America: Geography and Destiny. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke & Company.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1893). How Independence Was Won. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1894). How Illinois' Sons Saved the Nation. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1895). America: Thirty Years Later. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1895). The Truth About Mary. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1906). Thomas Lincoln: Presidential Memoirs. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1908). Seven Years War: Lessons of Militarism. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1909). The Great Emancipator at One Hundred. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1912). The Challenge of Politics. New York: Charles Schriber & Sons.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1915). Abraham Lincoln: 1809-1858. New York: Charles Schriber & Sons.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1915). Abraham Lincoln: 1858-1865. New York: Charles Schriber & Sons.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1920). League of Problems: The Illusion of Peace. New York: Charles Schriber & Sons.
• Lincoln, Thomas. (1928). Autobiography of Thomas Lincoln. New York: Charles Schriber & Sons.

Writer and Film Critic[]

It was also in the 1910s that Lincoln, a lifelong fan of theater grew fonder of the medium of film which he had liked since it first became prominent in the late-1890s. He also became an avid film critic where he was noted for his many film reviews. The one that earned him the most attention was his review of Birth of a Nation in the Chicago Tribune, where he called the first half of the movie a magical masterpiece of cinema and spectacle with incredible realistic battle representations. However, he was deeply offended and critical of the latter half of the movie calling it "a look inside the mind of what would be an 94-year-old senile bitter Nathan Bedford Forrest trying so hard to remember and justify what he was fighting against if he were still alive today" along with calling the latter half of the film "Lost Cause propaganda of the highest order". However, Lincoln was a big fan of Griffith’s next film Intolerance, and it was said that the final film Lincoln saw before he died titled "Abraham Lincoln" was a fairly accurate attempt of a representation of his father. He became a rather big fan of Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd during the last 15 years of his life.

Character and Philosophical Beliefs[]

Personality[]

Lincoln somewhat disliked being called "Tad", although he sort of grew to like the nickname and its widespread public association. He was an active Freemason. Many throughout his life noted that he was energetic, endlessly curious, hard to control and spirited. He always had a handyman resourceful streak in him, even as a child in the White House when he turned chairs and tables into sleds and wagons, and later in the navy when he became one of the best mechanics on the USS Vandalia. His older brother Willie was often the more intellectual, disciplined sibling who loved to read and write but lacked Tad’s imagination and energy until his premature death in 1862. While he didn't take much to schooling at all in his younger years, showing a disinterest and stubbornness often leading to tutors quitting in frustration, he did show signs of resourcefulness and a high ability to learn. His personality changed almost overnight after his father's assassination and death going from an impulsive, rebellious, undisciplined child to a more restrained, diligent, intellectual personality. This aptitude was demonstrated when within a year and a half after his father’s assassination and starting school in Chicago he went from being barely literate and able to write to being the head editor of his school newspaper.

Lincoln was said to have gotten the best of both of his parent's personalities inheriting his father's magnetism, patience, honesty and compassion combined with his mother's vivaciousness, wit, sarcasm and energy. Lincoln's compassion and sympathy for common people first came about during his years at the White House following his brother Willie's premature death at the age of 11, then his father bringing him along to Richmond at the end of the Civil War, then his father's assassination. Lincoln developed a strong sense of morality and fighting for the underprivileged by witnessing the homelessness following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Lincoln inherited his father's tendencies towards depression and melancholy, which he helped overcame by leading an active lifestyle and keeping himself occupied through personal achievement and helping others.

Meritocracy[]

Being the son of Abraham Lincoln, Tad often found it difficult to establish his own legacy and political reputation and devoted his life to becoming more than just "Abraham Lincoln’s son". He is quoted as saying.

"The beauty of the meritocracy is that, it doesn’t matter whether your father was Cornelius Vanderbilt or George Washington or some frontier roaming drifter or a coal miner. Your mother Queen Victoria or some lady of the night. You can still choose your course and succeed in life just as well as anyone else. Whether you were born man or woman, black or white, north or south, in the United States or some foreign nation. That in itself is why meritocracy will always be the greatest form of equality."

Political Views[]

Tad Lincoln, throughout his political career, held a set of political views that were shaped by his father's legacy and his own experiences. His political ideology can be characterized as progressive, with a focus on unity, social justice, and government accountability.

Tad strongly believed in the power of government to enact positive change and address societal inequalities. Drawing inspiration from his father, he championed the values of fairness, equality, and justice. He believed that the government had a responsibility to represent and protect the interests of the common man, promoting policies that would uplift the working class and ensure their rights were safeguarded.

Tad's commitment to unity was a central aspect of his political philosophy. He recognized the divisive nature of partisan politics and sought to bridge the gap between different factions within the country. Tad aimed to unite the American people under a shared vision of progress and social harmony, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and compromise.

As a US Representative, he refused to take sides in party faction politics instead taking positions from each faction he personally agreed on the most. Tad came to identify himself as a moderate between the two factions. When it came to issues such as civil service reform, corruption, meritocracy and the spoils system he tended to side with the half-breeds. However, when it came to currency, radical republicanism and black suffrage he tended to side with the stalwarts. Later, as Governor of Illinois and later as President, Tad began to separate himself more from factional politics and instead started forming his own beliefs where he tackled corruption and machine politics head-on. He sought to improve relations between the common people, government, and industry, fighting against the influence of powerful corporate interests. Tad understood that unchecked monopolies could lead to social and economic disparities, and he worked to regulate and curtail their power through pragmatic initiatives and numerous small victories over time.

Tad's progressive outlook extended to social issues as well. He believed in the inherent dignity and worth of every individual, advocating for equal rights and opportunities for all Americans, regardless of their race, gender, or social standing. Tad supported policies that aimed to eradicate discrimination and ensure equal universal access to education, employment, and political participation.

Environmental concerns were also on Tad's radar, particularly after witnessing the pollution and poor living conditions in rapidly growing cities like Chicago. He recognized the need for sustainable development and pushed for measures to improve sanitation, address pollution, and protect natural resources.

Throughout his political career, Tad Lincoln remained committed to his father's values of unity, equality, and justice. He sought to promote social progress, address systemic issues, and ensure that the government represented the interests of the people as a whole. Tad's political views were shaped by his deep sense of responsibility and the desire to build a better and more equitable society for all Americans.

Lincoln viewed the pursuit of financial success as a good thing so long as it did not destroy others livelihoods. Lincoln a hardcore supporter of fair competition and meritocracy felt that the robber barons were squeezing other businesses out of the economy and killing any potential competitors. While a believer in free enterprise, Lincoln felt that monopolies would stall progress and innovation once they control their entire industries.

Views on Race and Civil Rights[]

Lincoln was a firm anti-racist for his time, this was in part because he personally blamed racists and Southerners for almost destroying the country and his family growing up. The reason for his anti-racism was his resentment of southerners and racists as part of his witnessing what the Civil War did to his family, specifically his parents and his father's assassination by a Confederate sympathizer. This was later followed by learning to read and edit newspapers during Andrew Johnson's presidency during which he learned about Johnson's counterproductive efforts during reconstruction. Later as a politician he would support strong anti-lynching legislation and at one point referencing a quote from his father on slavery about lynching where he stated, "I have a strong conviction that the members of the lynch brigades would see it much differently if it was their neck that was getting tied to a tree." Lincoln was very personally outraged at the 1883 Supreme Court decision that overruled the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and personally called the Plessy vs Ferguson ruling of 1896 "The right of Southerners to make their fellow Black Americans second class citizens". He also called these two rulings the "two biggest mistakes of the American justice system since Dred Scot ." He also referred to Justices Stephen Johnson Field and Rufus Peckham as "backwards thinking men of big business and segregation disguised as a men of freedom and liberty" and was ecstatic when Field stepped down in late-1897 and got to replace him with a much more progressive minded Oliver Wendell Holmes in early-1898.

Foreign Policy Beliefs[]

While Lincoln and Roosevelt agreed on many key domestic and economic issues the one area, they differed on the most was on foreign policy. While Roosevelt was a staunch imperialist and conservative on foreign policy believing in the idea of survival of the fittest, Lincoln believed in a philosophy he called "Benevolent Imperialism". Lincoln believed that the United States foreign policy and Navy should be used as a force for good positive change around the world. He truly believed that having a few industrialized nations around the world competing for as much land and military power as possible and increasing nationalism would lead to "no more land to conquer except each-other". That the United States should use its industrial capacity to keep other nations in diplomatic check and prevent large scale conflict. He also expressed the sentiment of rising industrial military nationalism as the biggest threat to world stability in a 1903 speech in Chicago he described the situation in Europe.

"A powder keg of distrust, fear and a false sense of superiority of one nation over another disguised as necessary precaution and patriotism, armed with weapons and machinery of intimidation and offense increasing in volume disguised as tools of diplomacy and defense. These conditions of friendly hostility will lead to increasing fear and hatred of one nation over another leading to more unstable alliances led by a sense of mistrust. One day this powder keg will grow so large and so unstable it will be lit by a spark of a small insignificant event on the world stage and erupt in an explosion of global conflict that will make the battlefields of Gettysburg look like a mere skirmish by comparison. After those events these nations will in one generation lose their desire for conquest."

Lincoln believed that by spreading education, literacy, medicine and industry around the world that eventually the idea of imperialism would become obsolete due to the cost in suffering, damage and human life. He also believed in the idea of a strong international organization much easier to obtain membership and harder to withdraw from than the League of Nations.

Family and Personal Life[]

Relationship with Robert[]

The relationship between Tad Lincoln and his older brother, Robert Lincoln, was marked by differences in personality and career paths, yet it was ultimately one of mutual respect and familial support. While Tad grew up with more parents attention from their father than Robert did, it was more the result of Eddie’s death and the advancement of Abe’s career.

While Tad inherited the magnetism and vivaciousness of their parents, Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, Robert possessed a more reserved and serious demeanor. As the firstborn, Robert often felt the weight of familial expectations, particularly after their father's assassination. He pursued a career in law and business, eventually rising to become the head of the Pullman Company, a prominent railroad manufacturing and sleeping car company.

Despite their contrasting personalities and career trajectories, Tad and Robert maintained a bond rooted in their shared experiences as members of the Lincoln family. They both grew up in the shadow of their father's legacy and faced the challenges of losing him at a young age.

It is likely that Tad's warm, imaginative, vibrant and outgoing nature complemented Robert's more traditional, cold, reserved disposition. While Tad embraced a career in politics and served as President of the United States, Robert focused on business and corporate leadership. They respected and supported each other's chosen paths, even though their interests and strengths diverged.

Their relationship reached its most strained points following the 1884 Cincinnati Riots and the 1894 Pullman Strike in which Tad was very critical of Robert’s handling of it as Secretary of War and later Vice President of the Pullman Railway Company. While Tad often sympathized with workers in labor disputes and was a firm anti-racist for the time, Robert was anti-labor and never spoke out against discrimination. Although the two would later reconcile for their mother’s declining health and attend her funeral together in 1895 they would still have their disagreements especially with Robert’s opinion on Tad’s policies as President.

The brothers likely found common ground and solace in their shared memories of their parents and their upbringing. They may have relied on each other for guidance and emotional support, knowing that they were the last surviving members of their immediate family.

Despite their differences, Tad and Robert recognized the importance of maintaining family ties. They likely cherished their bond as siblings and found ways to connect and relate to each other, even if their paths took them in different directions.

Overall, the relationship between Tad and Robert Lincoln was one of mutual respect and familial support. While they may have had distinct personalities and pursued different career paths, they likely appreciated the unique qualities each brought to the Lincoln family legacy. Robert expressed after the 1900 Election as saying "the shadow I spent my years under casted by my father has grown stronger by the shadow currently being casted by my brother." Their shared experiences and the love they held for their parents likely formed a strong foundation for their relationship. And a then 73-year-old Tad was present at his brother’s funeral in August 1926.

Marriage and Children[]

In 1878, Lincoln met Ella Cullom in Springfield, Illinois and the following year they got married. She was the daughter of Shelby Moore Cullom, an established Illinois politician, was then the Governor of Illinois and former member of the US House of Representatives and Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. Tad Lincoln married Ella Cullom, at the Governor's Mansion in Springfield, Illinois on July 20, 1879. In November 1879, with the money secured by his father's government bonds Lincoln bought a house in the nearby town of Glencoe, just outside Chicago where he Ella and his mother Mary moved in together.

Lincoln was an affectionate husband and father of three sons and two daughters, although his work regularly kept him away from home, especially during his time as US Representative and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. The couple would have five children of whom four would live into maturity. On May 27th, 1906, he and his wife Ella celebrated the birth of their first grandchild William Stanton the first son of their eldest daughter Mary. Lincoln was personally satisfied when the first grandchild to carry the family name Joseph Cornelius Lincoln was born on March 18th, 1913, the first child of his son Robert.

Together, Thomas Lincoln and Ella Cullom would have six children of whom four would live to maturity. When Lincoln died in 1930, he was survived by his wife, four children and fourteen grandchildren. His wife Ella would life on to see their son Thomas Lincoln jr become president following the assassination of Franklin D Roosevelt on July 3rd, 1941 and be present at his inauguration die just four months later on September 30th, 1941 and her funeral would take place October 4th on a day where it rained 4.74-inches in Springfield, Illinois leading her son then President, Thomas Jr to comment "very fitting weather for the occasion".

• Abraham Lincoln III (August 18th, 1880 - September 10th, 1896) - died of blood poisoning in 1896 aged 16
• Mary Lincoln Stanton (June 6th, 1882- September 3rd, 1970) - was a married Richard Stanton (1880-1959) on February 3rd, 1905 had 4 children
  • William Stanton (1906-1990)
  • Hellen Abrams Stanton (1908-1993)
  • James Edward Stanton (1911-1995)
  • Gertrude Stanton (1913-1999)
• Hannah Lincoln (April 7th - April 15th, 1884) - died in infancy.
• Robert Lincoln (March 18th, 1885 - October 7th, 1944) - was an accomplished officer in the US Army reaching the rank of General, his plane was shot down over France in 1944 - married Mary Turner in 1912 had 3 children
  • Joseph Cornellius Lincoln (1913-1992) - West Point graduate class of 1936, finished WWII as a Major, then the Korean War as a Colonel, then Vietnam as a Major General the rank he would retire at in 1978
  • Elizabeth Lincoln (1915-2008)
  • Lillian Lincoln (1920-2011)
• Thomas Lincoln jr. (or IV) (March 22nd, 1888 - November 20, 1972) - became a successful businessman, US Secretary of the Treasury 1933-41, Vice President, 31st President of the United States, humanitarian, entrepreneur and civil rights activist, married Ethel Roosevelt on April 4th, 1913 had four children
  • Thomas Lincoln III (or V) (1913-1996) - veteran of WWII, government official and banker, married Annabelle Richards (1917-2005) in 1940 where they had four children
    • Shelly Lincoln (1941-)
    • James Lincoln (1944-) - university professor at Yale
    • Caroline Lincoln Newsom (1946-) - women's rights activist, civil rights activist, later a member of the Martin Luther King jr administration
    • Thomas Lincoln IV (or VI) (1948-) - Vietnam veteran, investment banker, humanitarian, chair of many nonprofit organizations, married Kathleen Ellis in 1973, the have two children.
      • Jennifer Lincoln (1975-)
      • Thomas Lincoln V (or VI) (1978-)
        • Thomas Lincoln VI (or VII) (2011-)
  • Edith Lincoln Williams (1917-2008) - historian and conservationist married Mike WIlliams (1916-1998) had three children
    • Theodore Williams (1942-)
    • Linda Peters (1946-)
    • David Williams (1949-)
  • Michael Edward Lincoln (1920-2003) - scholar and university professor married Ruby Monroe (1924-2009) had three children
  • Dorothy Lincoln (1923-2020) - human rights activist married Robert Winslow (1921-2010) had four children
• Elizabeth Lincoln Smith (February 4th, 1892-December 25th, 1985) - artist, painter, and social justice advocate, married Daniel Smith in 1916, had three children
  • Dorothy Smith (1917-2015)
  • Edward Smith (1920-2003)
  • Abigail Smith (1924-2010)

Legacy[]

Many historians credit Lincoln for changing the role of the Presidency from growing mediocracy and becoming a second-hand position to the interests of big business in the United States. His accomplishments include trust busting, standing up for the rights of citizens and workers over big money interests, his handling of the Spanish-American War, and ushering in a wave of progressive reforms that would last for nearly twenty years. He is a hero to liberals and progressives for his proposals in 1899-1905 that presaged the modern welfare state. He also helped bring in a more direct democracy to the United States. Conservatives admire him for his handling of the Spanish-American War, commitment to fighting corruption, civic duty, and many across the board admire his personality of integrity and intelligence. He often ranks among the top ten Presidents in United States history and helped cement the Lincoln-Roosevelt political dynasties the former started by his father Abraham and the later his Vice President, Teddy Roosevelt.

Memorials and Cultural Depictions[]

In 1927, Lincoln chose to not be included as the fifth head on Mount Rushmore, his father's home in Springfield became considered a landmark for not only being the home of one president but also the birthplace of another.