Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882) was the wife of the sixteenth President of the United States,Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.
A member of a large, wealthy Kentucky family, Mary was well educated. After living in the Todd House and a finishing school during her teens, she moved to Springfield, Illinois where she lived for a time with her married sister Elizabeth Edwards. Before she married Abraham Lincoln, Mary was courted by his long-time political opponent Stephen A. Douglas. She and Lincoln had four sons together, only one of whom outlived her. Their home of about 17 years still stands at Eighth and Jackson Streets in Springfield, Illinois.
Mary Lincoln suffered from migraine headaches and other severe illnesses through much of her adult life. She supported her husband throughout his presidency. She witnessed his fatal shooting when they were together in the President's Box at Ford's Theatre on Tenth Street in Washington.
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[hide]Early life and education[edit]
Mary was born in Lexington, Kentucky as the fourth of seven children of Robert Smith Todd, a banker, and Elizabeth (Parker) Todd.[1] Her family were slaveholders, and Mary was raised in comfort and refinement.[2] When Mary was six, her mother died. Two years later, her father married Elizabeth "Betsy" Humphreys and they had nine children together.[1][3] Mary had a difficult relationship with her stepmother.
From 1832, Mary and her family lived in what is now known as the Mary Todd Lincoln House, an elegant 14-room residence at 578 West Main Street inLexington, Kentucky.[4]
Mary's paternal great-grandfather, David Levi Todd, was born in County Longford, Ireland, and immigrated through Pennsylvania to Kentucky. Her great-great maternal grandfather Samuel McDowell was born in Scotland, and emigrated to Pennsylvania. Other Todd ancestors came from England.[5]
At an early age Mary was sent to Madame Mantelle's finishing school, where the curriculum concentrated on French and literature. She learned to speak French fluently and studied dance, drama, music, and social graces. By age 20, she was regarded as witty and gregarious, with a grasp of politics. Like her family, she was a Whig.[6]
Mary began living with her sister Elizabeth Porter Edwards in Springfield, Illinois in October 1839. Elizabeth, married to Ninian W. Edwards, son of a former governor, served as Mary's guardian.[7] Mary was popular among the gentry of Springfield, and though she was courted by the rising young lawyer and Democratic Party politician Stephen A. Douglas and others, she chose Abraham Lincoln, a fellow Whig.[6]
Marriage and family[edit]
Mary Todd married Abraham Lincoln on November 4, 1842, at her sister Elizabeth's home in Springfield, Illinois. She was 23 years old and he was 33 years of age.
Their four sons, all born in Springfield, were:
- Robert Todd Lincoln, (1843–1926), -– lawyer, diplomat (U.S. Secretary of War), businessman.
- Edward Baker Lincoln, known as "Eddie" (1846–1850), died of tuberculosis[1]
- William Wallace Lincoln, known as "Willie", (1850–1862), died of typhoid fever while Lincoln was President[1]
- Thomas Lincoln, known as "Tad", (1853–1871), died at age 18 (either from pleurisy,[1] pneumonia,[8] congestive heart failure,[9] or tuberculosis).[10]
Robert and Tad survived to adulthood and the death of their father, and only Robert outlived his mother.
Lincoln's career and home life[edit]
Lincoln and Douglas eventually became political rivals in the great Lincoln-Douglas debates for a seat representing Illinois in the United States Senate in 1858. Although Douglas successfully secured the seat when elected by the Illinois legislature, Lincoln became famous for his position on slavery, which generated national support for him.
While Lincoln pursued his increasingly successful career as a Springfield lawyer, Mary supervised their growing household. Their house, where they resided from 1844 until 1861, still stands in Springfield, and has been designated the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. During Lincoln's years as an Illinois circuit lawyer, Mary was often left alone for months at a time to raise their children and run the household. Mary supported her husband socially and politically, not least when Lincoln was elected president in 1860.
White House years[edit]
During her W
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