Who is this person?

[L Verge]

Laurie, you are a champion. A veritable Sherlock. Collect your prize (a smile) from the next visitor to the Museum.
Captain James Riley was for a time the most well known person in the US (I know that as a fact from the Internet). A book about him was written by a friend of Washington Irving. Lincoln drew inspiration ( or you could say 'made use of it') from his story during the 1860 campaign.

https://sites.williams.edu/searchablesea...ley-james/

https://www.jstor.org/stable/27786655?se...b_contents

I can't believe that I would remember this from the newer version done in 1965, so I must have seen it tied to some other work in the not-so-distant past. If you had not typed the ship as "Commerce," there would have been no light bulb come on!

[RJNorton]

What is this man's name?

[Wild Bill]

Charles Dickens

[RJNorton]

I sure see the resemblance, Bill, but it isn't Dickens. This is a person whom Lincoln knew during his term as President.

[AussieMick]

Edward Sothern (Lord Dundreary in Our American Cousin) ? If its not him, then its his twin.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Some Habsburg Emperor...I've also been thinking of John Ericsson or Walt Whitman but it's just the same kind of beard...

[RJNorton]

Michael and Eva, I am sorry, but the man was not an actor, emperor, inventor, or poet.

Hint #1: He has been mentioned previously on the forum.

[AussieMick]

A European diplomat?

[RJNorton]

Michael, the man helped President Lincoln in more than one way, and diplomacy was one of the ways.

[Eva Elisabeth]

OK. Was he at anytime in his life a lawyer? A journalist? Or in the military?

[RJNorton]

Eva, I do not believe he was any of those.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Had they (Lincoln +?) known each other already prior to the presidency?

[Steve]

Isachar Zacharie

[RJNorton]

Congratulations, Steve! This was a tough one. Yes, it is the man best known as Abraham Lincoln's foot doctor. He did other things for Lincoln, too.

On September 22, 1862, Lincoln wrote, "Dr. Zacharie has operated on my feet with great success, and considerable addition to my comfort."

Here are some links which discuss Zacharie.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/herb/ge...s_day.php3

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/isachar-zacharie

http://strangeside.com/lincolns-chiropod...-zacharie/

[Rob Wick]

I don't think I've posted this before, but who is this Lincoln personality?

Best
Rob