Were Lincoln and Ward Hill Lamon law "partners?"

[Richard Lawrence Miller]

Regarding whether Lamon was a Lincoln law partner, as I recall Lincoln worked enough with assorted lawyers in county seats that these associates sometimes called themselves his partner and even advertised themselves as such. But that would have been a relationship on the circuit, and not handling the swath of cases that came to the Lincoln & Herndon firm. Such as, for example, corporation finance disputes in federal court handled by Lincoln & Herndon. The "circuit partners" had no involvement in that sort of thing.

On side topics: Lamon's ghostwriter Black hated Lincoln. When I read Lamon's biography of Lincoln I noticed a tone of meanness but didn't see all that many outright errors. Indeed, Herndon (who despite his foibles respected truth) liked the book. For the pre-presidential years, however, Lamon is outdated, of interest as a historical curiosity. The presidential years aren't my field, so I can't offer an evaluation of the book's treatment of White House years.

Sandburg's account of Abe Lincoln standing up Mary Todd at the wedding sounds much like Herndon's. I suspect that is where Sandburg got it. I don't think Herndon fabricated the story, but we know that the story is mistaken. If anything like that had happened, political opponents would have given it wide publicity.