Lincoln & Stanton

[DeniseW]

Just an aside here. I went to Hildene on Saturday, and noticed a picture of Stanton on a wall. Underneath it, a card stated that Stanton remained close to RTL for the remainder of his (Stanton's) life. Robert was what, 21 years old when his father was murdered? I found it moving that Stanton had stepped forward like that, and that Robert had memorialized Stanton with that picture. After all, Hildene was built about 36 years after Stanton died, so Robert was still holding respect for Stanton, many years later.

With Google as my friend, I found this on a website: "When Stanton died in 1869, Robert Todd Lincoln wrote the Secretary of War’s son, Edwin L. Stanton, that “when I recall the kindness of your father to me, when my father was lying dead and I felt utterly desperate, hardly able to realize the truth, I am as little able to keep my eyes from filling with tears as he was then." Robert would have been 26 years old when he wrote this note.

I wonder if Stanton took on a 'fatherly' role to RTL after AL's death? Has anyone ever read anything on this? Hildene's note seems to suggest there was an ongoing relationship after the assassination.