Mary Lincoln

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Mary Lincoln (1861)

Mary Lincoln (born December 13, 1818 in Lexington , Kentucky as Mary Ann Todd , † July 16, 1882 in Springfield , Illinois ) was the wife of US President Abraham Lincoln and the First Lady of the USA from 1861 to 1865.

Life

She was the daughter of Robert Smith Todd and Eliza Parker, a wealthy southern family who kept slaves themselves . Her mother died early. Her father was a member of the Whigs and provided his daughter with an excellent education and also aroused her political interest.

At the age of twenty, Mary moved to Springfield, Illinois, where her sister Elizabeth lived. There she met Abraham Lincoln, whom she married on November 4, 1842. From the beginning she supported his political career.

They had four children:

  • Robert Todd Lincoln (born August 1, 1843 in Springfield (Illinois), † July 26, 1926 in Manchester, Vermont). 1881–1885 Minister of War.
  • Edward "Eddie" Baker Lincoln (born March 10, 1846 in Springfield (Illinois), † February 1, 1850 ibid)
  • William "Willie" Wallace Lincoln (born December 21, 1850 in Springfield (Illinois), † February 20, 1862 in Washington, DC )
  • Thomas "Tad" Lincoln (born April 4, 1853 in Springfield (Illinois), † July 16, 1871 in Chicago )

First lady

After her husband was elected president and during the Civil War , she was exposed to hostility because of her Kentucky descent - several of her (half) brothers fought and fell on the side of the Confederate States of America . The parties she organized and the expensive renovation of the White House also brought her criticism. Nevertheless, she always stood firmly on the side of her husband, who also always discussed his politics with her.

In Washington, she suffered from loneliness, migraines, and mood swings. Her best friend was the seamstress Elizabeth Keckley , a former slave. The fact that in 1868 she published her memories of the time of Lincoln's presidency, Behind the Scene, or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House , with intimate insights into the life of the presidential family, led to the break of friendship. There is u. a. described how Mary Lincoln fell into hysteria after the death of her third son Willie, which she compensated with shopping addiction , which led to high debt.

She witnessed the murder of her husband on April 14, 1865 at Ford's Theater in Washington DC up close.

widow

After the death of her husband, Mary Lincoln sank into a deep depression and only wore black. She moved to Chicago with her sons. She went on trips to Europe. For a few months she lived with her youngest in Frankfurt am Main . His death in 1871 increased her psychological suffering.

In 1875 there was a hard argument between the only surviving son Robert Todd Lincoln and his mother. Because her son found her way of life increasingly eccentric, he filed a lawsuit against her in 1875 to gain control over her finances. Mary Ann Todd Lincoln was then admitted to a mental health facility in Batavia , Illinois , but was released three months later and moved to live with her sister in Springfield. She later traveled to Europe again and lived in Pau in France for several years . The falling out with her son was final.

She died in 1882 and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery .

literature

  • William D. Pederson: Mary Todd Lincoln. In Katherine AS Sibley (Ed.): A Companion to First Ladies. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester 2016, ISBN 978-1-118-73222-9 , pp. 214-229.

Web links

Commons : Mary Todd Lincoln  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ John Williams: A Strong Thread in a Torn Union . In: The New York Times , January 9, 2013, accessed February 9, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Lincoln, Mary
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Todd, Mary Ann (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American First Lady (1861-1865)
DATE OF BIRTH December 13, 1818
PLACE OF BIRTH Lexington , Kentucky
DATE OF DEATH July 16, 1882
Place of death Springfield , Illinois