What is your best one-word description of President Abraham Lincoln's character?

[Rob Wick]

Quote:I was looking forward to your opinion of this book,
As I recall Lincoln selected many of his cabinet members because he needed their knowledge and political influence if the country went to war. From his political and financial contacts Chase was a good selection, he was just too full of himself (and Lincoln tolerated it for a time). Lincoln felt his good features outweighed his lesser qualities since he appointed him to the supreme court. If Cameron hadn't been such a crook so that he was shipped of to Russia, we might have never purchased Alaska.

So can you remember anything about the book - Lincoln's War Cabinet?
Is there, in your opinion, a better book about Lincoln's cabinet?

Gene,

Chase may very well have been a good selection, but he wasn't the best, especially after he proved that he wasn't loyal to Lincoln. A good test would be to compare his tenure with that of William Pitt Fessenden, the Senate Finance Committee chair Lincoln appointed to replace Chase. I cannot do so because I only have a Wikipedia-level knowledge of him. As for his appointment to the court, again, I can't comment on that other than it's apples and oranges. Being fit for the court is far from being a good choice for the cabinet, especially in the midst of a civil war.

While I am not an expert on this, I think Seward played a larger role in getting Alaska than Cameron. I think Lincoln likely acceded to allowing Cameron to serve on the cabinet because of the promises made by his managers when he was seeking the Republican nomination. However, Lincoln had the final say. Therefore, he could have held firm on his often-stated demand that no political deals be made in his name.

The only books I am familiar with on Lincoln's cabinet are Hendrick's and Doris Kearns Goodwin's books. While I liked Goodwin's book, I think Hendrick does a better job of explaining the factors that Lincoln faced in choosing a cabinet. I have no problem recommending either, but if forced to choose, I would say, Hendrick, mainly due to personal preference. Obviously, Goodwin's book is more readily available.

I have Hendrick's book in my library, but the chances of me reading it again are pretty slim, given everything I'm working on now. As I stated in an earlier post, the one thing that stood out to me was Lincoln's cry that if Jesus was choosing the twelve apostles, the "shriek of locality" would once again rise up (meaning that Lincoln was often told that he had to have a cabinet balanced by locality throughout the country in order to satisfy all political factions).

Best
Rob