Robert Todd Lincoln --The vitals

[kerry]

Pullman was also doing the company town thing, because they believed it was great to force all the workers to conform to the "right" (for people like them) way of doing things. I get the feeling Robert would have liked the plan. He just seemed to lack vision or an appreciation of human independence. I understand he was an attorney representing his clients through much of this, but he just stayed so aloof. I did find some interesting points in my research lately.

1) When Dr. Abbott, a black military surgeon, came to a reception and went for what I guess was the first interracial handshake with the president, Robert left his mother's side and came over to ask Lincoln what he was doing. Lincoln said "Why not?", shook his hand, and Robert walked away. In fairness, he simply may have been terrified that was inviting assassination.

2) Mary did have at least a temporary reconciliation with him. I was about to finish in article in which I mentioned I thought that story was apocryphal, but I found an interview with Senator Cullom who explained the whole thing. Robert was in Springfield with two of his kids (I'm assuming the two oldest) and reports signaled his intention to visit her, but when he got there he apparently wasn't ready to directly approach, as they'd still had no contact. Cullom, with is permission, told Ninian Edwards that Robert and his two kids were in town. Ninian spoke to Mary, who said they all "must" come immediately, and she received them "affectionately."

The article is a shortened and updated version of the long one I did about her final year of life, and I'm trying to make it for a general audience. But I can't finish it because I know I'll get criticized for not giving enough backstory -- there simply is not room to go through the nuances of Mary and Robert's relationship and some of her other relationships.