The Lincoln Chair- I was there!

[LincolnMan]

Perhaps no other relic of the Lincoln assassination rivals the "chair." Oh, I have seen it many times before in the past. It is part of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. But this was quite different and special. This time- and for the first time- the Lincoln assassination chair was not contained in it's glass-sealed exhibit. Instead, it was placed on a platform for all to see from any angle. It was on display this way on April 15, 2015. The day was very special st the museum. Really it was Lincoln Day. There were lots of Lincoln exhibits and Lincoln-related activites. Multitudes of people were there. Big yellow school buses full of eager children were there. I don't think I'll see another day like it. And there was the chair... sitting up there while folks gazed at it. 150 years ago from that day people didn't give it much attention. Even afterward it wasn't given it's proper respect. It languished in shadows and forgotten rooms. It may have disappeared altogether, I suppose, if it had not been for the interest and passion of Henry Ford as regards to Abraham Lincoln. He brought it out of obscurity and into the light of human consideration where it rightly belongs. That chair...what does it say to us? It says a great man- one of history's greatest- once took deserved comfort from it's padding and sturdiness. It says that life is quick as a vapor- please enjoy the day and time that you have. It says take time to love, laugh, and appreciate. That chair...

[RJNorton]

Wonderful post, Bill. Do you know if the Henry Ford Museum explains to the visitors that the dark stain on the red upholstery on the back of the chair is due to soiling from the hair pomade that was fashionable for men at the time (and not President Lincoln's blood)?

[LincolnMan]

Yes, the docents do inform that-but the thinking with John Q. public that it is blood seems to forever persist!

[L Verge]

I have a new perspective on the Lincoln rocker as I grow older. I never gave it much thought in my early years; Lincoln just happened to be sitting in it when Booth struck from behind.

However, the older I get and the more challenges I face, the chair has taught me a lesson. Just when you think that you can sit down and have some well-earned peace and quiet, life will sneak up on you and cause more trouble. Don't get too complacent.

[Gene C]

Good post Bill

However, the older I get and the more challenges I face, the chair has taught me a lesson. Just when you think that you can sit down and have some well-earned peace and quiet, life will sneak up on you and cause more trouble.

Not you, you don't need no rocking chair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPjbM-SqQUE

[Juan Marrero]

Yes, the chair and all that happened that night give vivid meaning "to the thief in the night".

[historybuff22]

From what I understand, Ford's theater and contents were shut down the day after the assassination and it remained closed for decades until the government turned it into a building for government offices. Among other items kept by the government was "the chair." Not sure of the exact date, but sometime in the late teens (?) a grand-daughter (?) of John Ford petitioned the government for the return of the chair. After fighting it in court for a few years, the chair was returned to a Ford. As it happened, Henry Ford had started his quest of historic buildings and relics for his Greenfield Village. The grand-daughter offered the chair to Henry Ford for $1,500 and he bought it.

On another matter, what I like to call it as being "The Postmortem Career of John Wilkes Booth," Finis Bates had purchased "booth the mummy" form the undertaker in Enid, Oklahoma in the early 1900s. When Finis Bates died, his wife sent a letter to Henry Ford offering to sell the mummy to him for $1,500. Ford declined.

Rick Brown
HistoryBuff.com
A Nonprofit Organization

[LincolnMan]

Many people don't know that Finis Bates is the grandfather of actress Kathy Bates.

[Gene C]

Didn't Stanton keep "the chair" at his office for a while?

[davg2000]

At ALPM, for my Thursday pm docent stint, I'm usually posted to cover "Ford's Theater." A couple of years ago, I was talking about "the chair" with a patron, and I mentioned that the actual chair was at the Henry Ford Museum. "Oh, yeah," he replied. "I sat in it. They had it out of the glass box for some reason, and there it was. So I sat down in it."

It takes all kinds....

[Eva Elisabeth]

I agree with Roger, Bill, you made a wonderful post!

The back of the rocker looks to me pretty high, as if it would entirely back and shield a smaller person. Considering that I probably wouldn't sit straight upright during a longer play to prevent aching bones (and Lincoln prefered casual, convenient "stitting", too) I wonder how likely it was that his head made such an easy, open target to point at quickly?

Gene, right now I cannot find nor recall another source for Stanton's "action" than post 18 here:
http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...41545.html

...and another sourceless website that states "that chair was in Edwin Stanton's office for years then donated to the Smithsonian. The chair was later sold to Henry Ford after Henry Clay Ford's wife claimed the chair as her legal property and is currently at the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan."

Does anyone know a source for Stanton rocking in the chair in his office?

[LincolnMan]

Thanks Eva!
I had a replica of the Lincoln chair in my home. Unfortunately, my dogs chewed in the railings of it and ruined it. I had to scrap it. Anyway, I am the same height as Abraham Lincoln- 6' 4'' tall. I can tell you that Lincoln's head was quite visable and a prominent target for Booth.

[L Verge]

From what I understand, Ford's theater and contents were shut down the day after the assassination and it remained closed for decades until the government turned it into a building for government offices. Among other items kept by the government was "the chair." Not sure of the exact date, but sometime in the late teens (?) a grand-daughter (?) of John Ford petitioned the government for the return of the chair. After fighting it in court for a few years, the chair was returned to a Ford. As it happened, Henry Ford had started his quest of historic buildings and relics for his Greenfield Village. The grand-daughter offered the chair to Henry Ford for $1,500 and he bought it.

On another matter, what I like to call it as being "The Postmortem Career of John Wilkes Booth," Finis Bates had purchased "booth the mummy" form the undertaker in Enid, Oklahoma in the early 1900s. When Finis Bates died, his wife sent a letter to Henry Ford offering to sell the mummy to him for $1,500. Ford declined.

Rick Brown
HistoryBuff.com
A Nonprofit Organization

There is an interesting story of how Henry Ford hired Frederick Black, a well-respected newspaper man with a Dearborn paper, to research the story of the Booth mummy before signing on the dotted line. Black was so thorough that he spent about 3-4 years investigating the whole thing before advising Ford not to buy it. Black's extensive papers are in a library in Michigan, I believe.

[LincolnToddFan]

Bill, your wonderful post is something that I needed to read. THANK YOU very much!

[L Verge]

Many people don't know that Finis Bates is the grandfather of actress Kathy Bates.

I tried contacting Ms. Bates about 25 years ago when the Greenmount Cemetery vs. those who wanted to disinter JWB was mounting. I got as far as her assistant (who at that time was her niece). She was very nice and said that she would deliver my message, but I never heard back. The niece did tell me, in a nice way, that the family is protective of grandpa.

BTW: Finis Bates had two wives, and Kathy is descended through a son from the second marriage.