Mary Todd Lincoln by Jean Baker

[Gene C]

Very interesting book.

The most interesting sections of the book for me were Mary's insanity trial and the comments about treating people with what was considered mental illness back during the late 1800's.

I can see why many of you who have read it and commented on Robert Lincoln feel the way you do. He is presented as the villain in his mothers life after his father is assassinated. It seems that Robert is very embarrassed by his mothers behavior and the steps he takes to limit the negative public opinion do not work, but only seem to make it worse. I'm not sure Robert was a bad as the author presents him.
Looking back over 100 years, it is easy to be critical of Robert, but trying to treat someone with her health issues has never been easy, probably more difficult back then.

The author also seems to indicate (at least to me) that Mary somewhat enjoys (or makes the best of it) her status as the widow of Abraham Lincoln. She enjoys playing the victim as a widow. Regardless, her life after the White House is very sad.

While Mary has her eccentric behavior, and she does have some medical issues which aggravate her mental state, she is a very intelligent and determined woman (and some might say manipulative). She manages to leave Bellevue Place less than four months after her committal. You also see this determination in Mary and Abraham's on and off
again relationship while courting, she seems to have never given up on it. When he dies, you see how truly lost she is without him.

Her life is more than just the years after the assassination, I find her a fascinating person, with many facets to her character. Here are a few of my favorite comments in this book....
Regarding Mary and the domestic servants. "Everyone had difficulty keeping hired girls" (page 106)
Regarding fear of burglars, "During these long absences (while Lincoln was on the circuit) Mary Lincoln's fear of robbers, thunderstorms, and the men who payed nocturnal visits to her hired girls increased. Sometimes young single men like Lincoln's law apprentice, Gibson Harris or her sister's relative Stephen Smith agreed to sleep in the house. Other times she paid a neighbor's child a dime to sleep in the back room or loft." (page 109)
Regarding her role as White House hostess with specific examples, "Mary Lincoln proved more at home in this 'exalted station' than her predecessors, who remained shadowy private persons during their tenure in the White House." (page 179)
Regarding Mary managing Lincoln's salary, "In contrast, the Lincolns lived on $6,600 a year, not much more than they had spent during there last years in Springfield. Under Mary's direction, (for her husband was negligent about money matters) they saved $70,000 of his $100,000 salary, less $3,600 for taxes." (page 192)
Regarding Mary giving away mementos of Lincoln, "By way of encouragement Mary Lincoln bestows a seemingly endless number of Lincoln's canes 'a slight memento - a little relic of my Beloved Husband"
Regarding Robert's wife, "A final curtain of animosity had dropped between the two Mary Lincolns...She may have discovered the secret of her daughter-in-laws alcoholism." (page 310)
Regarding Mary's attempted suicide, "This unlikely tale first appeared in a newspaper owned by Robert Lincoln's former law partner and was more a son's exculpation of filial treachery than a mother's demonstration of suicidal tendencies" (page 328, with several good reasons given)

https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Todd-Lincoln...247&sr=1-1