Robert Todd Lincoln --The vitals

[Sally]

I felt the need to jump into this discussion because I’m on the side of Team Robert. I believe he has been unfairly maligned by historians, particularly with regard to his role in Mary Lincoln’s “incarceration.” I feel that this is another case of us looking at history through our modern-day lenses, and not from the point of view of the time. Mental/emotional illness is a difficult thing for any family to face, even today. And although there unfortunately remains a stigma attached to it, attitudes toward the “insane” were far worse in the 1870’s. As we all know, there was no medication, no real, helpful therapy, and little true understanding of either the root of mental illness, or the proper way to treat it. Now, I am also a fan of Mary Lincoln. (Snarl to Michael Burlingame and his type!) But no one disputes that Mary suffered from serious emotional problems and was in a particularly bad state in the mid-1870’s. Her behavior put her in great danger both physically and (less importantly) financially. Robert had to do something. He was still fairly young and depended on the advice of people like David Davis, who was a friend of his father’s. Robert didn’t want to have his mother committed so that he could filch her money. I believe he honestly wanted to get her the help she needed. And he did not lock her up in some snake pit and forget about her. Bellevue Place was the best treatment facility in the area at the time. (Kind of like those fancy Malibu rehab centers celebrities go to nowadays.) Yes, Mary did lose her freedom, which is always difficult, but she was not mistreated there. And Robert came to visit her a number of times. I believe he truly loved his mother, and it must have been very difficult for him to see her in that state and have to make the decisions he did. In Jason Emerson’s “The Madness of Mary Lincoln”, he cites newspaper stories that described Robert crying during the court proceedings. That was genuine emotion. RTL wasn't much of an actor!

As for his behavior at other times in his life, I will say he did behave like a snotty, entitled brat at the time of Lincoln’s first election. As we all know, the Lincolns overindulged all their children, especially Willie and Tad, but it’s likely Robert had a pretty free rein too. So by his teenaged years he was a typical, insolent, self-involved college kid. (And let’s be honest, we have all known that type in our own lives!) Had Willie and Lincoln survived for another 30 years, both Willie and Tad would probably have been just as bad (possibly worse) at that age than their big brother was.

But the traumas RTL endured, starting with his father’s assassination, did force him to grow up. Yes, he could come across as condescending and snotty to people who didn’t know him. Much of that can be attributed to his natural shyness and his almost pathological need for privacy. I can’t blame him for the latter. He spent most of his life hearing really horrible criticisms flung at his entire family. I’d want to avoid the public eye too. But there is much evidence that he had a great sense of humor, and he had many, long-time friends who loved him and remained loyal. It could be argued these friends were almost exclusively wealthy and white. That’s regrettable, but again, typical of the time.

I am disappointed to read stories of his alleged disregard for the problems of Pullman workers. Sadly, that sort of behavior has always been and still is typical of business tycoons. How much do any of today’s CEO’s really care about the welfare of the rank and file? Would they be as generous as they are to their employees if they weren’t legally required to do so? Now, would Robert’s father have behaved that way in a similar situation? Probably not. But the vast majority of men in Robert’s position would and did and still do. I’m not saying it’s right. I’m just saying that no one is a saint. It's unfair to judge Robert's behavior against what his father's would have been. Abraham Lincoln was a truly unique and incredible person. Most of us are just normal, flawed humans.

As for RTL’s ability to amass a huge fortune, I don’t think that should be held against him. It was the Gilded Age—the era of robber barons and huge fortunes. RTL’s fortune was fairly modest in comparison to many others of the day, and there is scant evidence of corruption in his business and political/diplomatic careers.

Considering his wealth, was RTL as generous as he could have been? I can’t judge. He did support charities and good causes in the area around his estate in Vermont. I may be naïve, but I like to think he was quietly generous. Again, he did not want to broadcast his doings publicly.

As for Mary Harlan Lincoln, I confess I’m not much of a fan. Then again, my negative impressions of her are based on virtually no evidence. She is an enigma. Like her husband, Mary was extremely private. I want to know more about her, and their eldest daughter, Mamie. But they left behind very little to shed light on their personalities. On the other hand, Jessie, the youngest, was a real piece of work. So were her two offspring. They are all really difficult people to like, based on what is known of them. But I try not to be too critical because there’s evidence suggesting that they all struggled with some level of emotional illness. Heredity?

Anyway, I hope I haven’t angered or offended anyone on the forum. I just felt I had to stand up for Robert. (Whether he deserves it or not!)