By Jason Emerson
He is known to history as Robert Todd Lincoln, the oldest of
Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln’s four sons, and the only one to survive to
adulthood. Never preferring to use his
full name during his lifetime he was known as Robert T. Lincoln. To those who knew and loved him, he was
simply Bob.
From his birth to his death, and since, Robert T. Lincoln
has remained hidden in the shadows of his martyred father and controversial
mother. With “Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T.
Lincoln,” journalist and an independent historian, Jason Emerson has delivered
Robert T. Lincoln from the shadows of his famous parents and given him his own
well deserved place in history.
Comprehensive in its scope, “Giant In the Shadows,” details
the life of Robert T. Lincoln from his birth on August 1st, 1843 in a rented
from of Springfield, Illinois’ Globe Tavern to his death on July 28, 1926 at
Hildene, his private estate in Manchester, Vermont. During his nearly 83 year lifespan, Robert
would be present at Robert E. Lee’s surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia
at Appomattox Court House; he would be the only person in American History to
be closely associated with three presidential assassinations (those of his
father, James Garfield and William McKinley); he would become the 35th
Secretary of War, serving under Presidents James Garfield and Chester Arthur;
United States Minister to the United Kingdom during the administration of
President Benjamin Harrison; President of the Pullman Palace Car Company; but
most notably Robert was the keeper of the historical legacy of Abraham Lincoln.
Much of “Giant in the Shadows” explores the dynamics of the
Lincoln family and their personal relationships with one another. Mr. Emerson demonstrates that Abraham Lincoln’s
relationship with his son, Bob, was a warm and intimate one, rather than cold
and distant as it has often been portrayed.
Robert’s often tumultuous relationship with his mother, Mary Todd
Lincoln is thoroughly examined. During
his childhood Robert shared a close relationship with his mother, but the
cumulative effect of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in combination with the
deaths of three of her four children took its psychological on Mary
Lincoln. As his mother’s mental health
deteriorated Robert and Mary Todd Lincoln’s roles were reversed; the son became
his mother’s protector. With few options
and a fear for his mother’s safety, Robert had his Mother declared insane and
placed her in an institution, causing a deep family rift that never fully
healed.
Biographers often fall in love with their subjects, and Mr.
Emerson is not immune. In the book’s
only major shortcoming Robert Lincoln’s role in the Pullman strike of 1894 is
not fully examined and murky at best.
With all of the tragedy in his life, it is easy to feel
sympathetic toward Robert T. Lincoln, and that is completely
understandable. Emerson demonstrates
time and again, that Robert Lincoln is not a man to be pitied. It is true, his name opened many doors for
him, but time and again Robert shut those doors, opened other doors of
opportunity of his own choosing, and never once used his father’s memory and
legacy to his own advantage while rising to his own prominence. Much like his father Robert T. Lincoln was in
many ways a self made man.
ISBN 978-0809330553, Southern Illinois University Press, ©
2012, Hardcover, 640 pages, Photographs & Illustrations, End Notes,
Bibliography & Index. $39.95. To purchase click HERE.
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