Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Lincoln will always be remembered as the widow of
President Abraham Lincoln who was assassinated on April 15, 1865, at Ford’s
Theater in Washington, D.C. Mary came from a wealthy plantation Kentucky
family, was well educated and although not politically brought up, she was courted
by Lincoln’s rival Stephen A. Douglas. When she married Lincoln, she became
political and supported him throughout his political career. She was also known
as the First Lady who almost bankrupted the financial purse of the country due
to her frequent White House parties, Lavish balls and continually redecorating
the White House interior. After all, she came from money and didn’t have a clue
how to save or be frugal.
The Lincolns had four sons, but three of them died young,
only the Oldest Robert survived to adulthood and actually outlived his mother. Mary suffered from grief for the
remainder of her life along with serious migraines. She was institutionalized
for depression and possibly bipolar disorder.
She was known to be witty and gregarious with a keen sense
of politics which made her an asset to Lincoln and his political career. She
spoke fluent French and was reported to be an outstanding dancer. She also was
a strong supporter of the soldiers during the Civil War and would frequently
visit the soldiers in the local hospital where she wrote letters for them to
their loved ones. She also accompanied Lincoln on his visits to military sites
in the field to help comfort those who were injured or to offer a smile to
those suffering from fatigue. After having multiple breakdowns her son Robert
had her committed to an insane asylum. She figured out a way to leave the asylum
and as a manipulating and disruptive she was able to live the remainder of her
life in peace. Although she was always worried about living in poverty and
petitioned Congress to grant her a pension for being the widow of a sitting
President. This pension was granted and she received $3,000.00 per year until
her death. She died in 1882 at the age of 63 and is buried alongside the president
in Springfield, Illinois.
Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of
experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere.
Graduating with an Associate of Arts from Pheonix University kin Business
Management, then a degree in Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix
University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with
emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her
Ph.D. degree in Criminology, her work portfolio includes coverage of politics,
current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. In her spare time,
Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist, proficient in
watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, Gouache, and pastels. As a political
operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has
turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to
weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life
coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.
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