Giant in the shadows : the life of Robert T. Lincoln / Jason Emerson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Emerson, Jason, 1975-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lincoln, Robert Todd, 1843-1926.

Lincoln, Robert Todd.

Ambassadors--United States--Biography.

Ambassadors.

Children of presidents--United States--Biography.

Children of presidents.

Lawyers--United States--Biography.

Lawyers.

United States--Politics and government--1865-1933.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (642 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press, c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Although he was Abraham and Mary Lincoln s oldest and last surviving son, the details of Robert T. Lincoln s life are misunderstood by some and unknown to many others. Nearly half a century after the last biography about Abraham Lincoln s son was published, historian and author Jason Emerson illuminates the life of this remarkable man and his achievements in "Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln." Emerson, after nearly ten years of research, draws upon previously unavailable materials to offer the first truly definitive biography of the famous lawyer, businessman, and statesman who, much more than merely the son of America s most famous president, made his own indelible mark on one of the most progressive and dynamic eras in United States history. Born in a boardinghouse but passing his last days at ease on a lavish country estate, Robert Lincoln played many roles during his lifetime. As a president s son, a Union soldier, an ambassador to Great Britain, and a U.S. secretary of war, Lincoln was indisputably a titan of his age. Much like his father, he became one of the nation s most respected and influential men, building a successful law practice in the city of Chicago, serving shrewdly as president of the Pullman Car Company, and at one time even being considered as a candidate for the U.S. presidency. Along the way he bore witness to some of the most dramatic moments in America s history, including Robert E. Lee s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse; the advent of the railroad, telephone, electrical, and automobile industries; the circumstances surrounding the assassinations of three presidents of the United States; and the momentous presidential election of 1912. "Giant in the Shadows" also reveals Robert T. Lincoln s complex relationships with his famous parents and includes previously unpublished insights into their personalities. Emerson reveals new details about Robert s role as his father s confidant during the brutal years of the Civil War and his reaction to his father s murder; his prosecution of the thieves who attempted to steal his father s body in 1876 and the extraordinary measures he took to ensure it would never happen again; as well as details about the painful decision to have his mother committed to a mental facility. In addition Emerson explores the relationship between Robert and his children, and exposes the actual story of his stewardship of the Lincoln legacy including what he and his wife really destroyed and what was preserved. Emerson also delves into the true reason Robert is not buried in the Lincoln tomb in Springfield but instead was interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Meticulously researched, full of never-before-seen photographs and new insight into historical events, "Giant in the Shadows" is the missing chapter of the Lincoln family story. Emerson s riveting work is more than simply a biography; it is a tale of American achievement in the Gilded Age and the endurance of the Lincoln legacy. "Univeristy Press Books for Public and Secondary Schools" 2013 edition "Book of the Year" by the Illinois State historical Society, 2013 "

Contents:

Cover

Frontispiece

Book Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Illustration List

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. "I Was Born in the Globe Tavern

2. "Is Bicarb a Swear Word?

3. "The Most Profitable [Year] of My Life

4. "Robert Lincoln Has Been Dubbed the Prince of Rails!

5. "He Is Only Mr. Robert Lincoln, of Cambridge

6. "A Very Dreadful Night

7. "I Feel Utterly without Spirit or Courage

8. "One of the Most Promising Young Men of the West

Gallery 1

9. "I Am Likely to Have a Good Deal of Trouble

10. "I Am in Better Shape Than Most

11. "I Have Done My Duty as I Best Know

12. "I Could Have Stopped This Scheme with Little Trouble

13. "I Don't Want to Be Minister to England or Anywhere Else

14. "How Many Hours of Sorrow I Have Passed in This Town

15. "The Best Secretary of War since Jefferson Davis

16. "I Am Not a Candidate

17. "I Expect Only the Greatest Satisfaction

18. "I Don't Want to Be Nobody nor Nothink except a Chicago Shyster

Gallery 2

19. "As Much a Man of Destiny as His Lamented Father

20. "Minister Lincoln Was Quietness Personified

21. "What Would His Father Say?

22. "I Am Now a Vermont Farmer

23. "My Filial Gratitude Cannot Find Adequate Expression

24. "I Am Now Enjoying Life

25. "He Simply Went to Sleep

Epilogue: "His Own Place in the Sun

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Author Biography

Back Cover.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-280-69841-1

9786613675378

0-8093-9071-X

OCLC:

792737783