Mary's Reputation

[RJNorton]

Thanks, Joe. Your post reminded me that I should try to be "fair and balanced" when suggesting books about Mary Lincoln. I mentioned Evans' book in a previous post - that book is quite sympathetic to Mary.

One of the best sources for the "opposite" side is Chapter 9 of "The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln" by Michael Burlingame. That particular chapter covers pages 268-326 and is entitled "The Lincolns' Marriage: A Fountain of Misery, of a Quality Absolutely Infernal."

Some of the incidents described in that chapter include Mary chasing Abraham with a broomstick. Once Lincoln fled the home as Mary was pitching potatoes as him. Another incident involved Mary throwing hot coffee in Abraham's face. Sometimes books were thrown at him. Burlingame indicates her temper tantrums continued when she was First Lady.

Basically author Burlingame paints a very negative picture of Mary. Her abusiveness was not just directed at Abraham. Also cited are incidents where she stuck the hired girls that the Lincolns employed while living in Springfield.

I really think before coming down really sympathetic toward her OR coming down really tough on her, it is best to read a variety of books before making up your own mind. Ruth Painter Randall's books are generally sympathetic to Mary. Many experts agree that Jean Baker's biography, now 25 years old, is still the best biography ever written on Mary. Her book is more balanced than Randall's, but it still leans in the direction of being sympathetic to Mary's life.