Mary Harlan Lincoln

Mary Harlan Lincoln (née Harlan; September 25, 1846 – March 31, 1937) was the daughter of United States Senator James Harlan and the wife of Robert Todd Lincoln.

Mary Harlan Lincoln
Born
Mary Eunice Harlan

(1846-09-25)September 25, 1846
Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 1937(1937-03-31) (aged 90)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1868; died 1926)​
Children
Parents

Life and family

The eldest child of James Harlan and Ann Eliza Peck, Mary Eunice Harlan was born in Iowa City, Iowa on September 25, 1846.[1] The only one of James Harlan's children to live to adulthood, she was raised in Mount Pleasant, Iowa and Washington, D.C. She was educated in Mount Pleasant and at Madame Smith's Finishing School in Washington. In addition to learning French, dancing and deportment, Mary Harlan received training in music and became an accomplished harpist.[2][3][4]

Robert Lincoln noticed the teenaged Mary in 1864 and began to court her. She had also come to the attention of Robert's mother Mary Lincoln, who approved and attempted to play matchmaker. President Abraham Lincoln became aware of his wife's activities and aided her by asking Senator Harlan to escort Mrs. Lincoln to Lincoln's 1865 presidential inaugural, enabling Robert to escort Mary Harlan. In order to keep their courtship secret, Robert Lincoln often used the assistance of his friend Edgar Welles to meet Mary Harlan at the home of Edgar's father Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. Their marriage was delayed by the assassination of Robert's father and the subsequent mourning period.[5][6]

Marriage and children

Robert Todd Lincoln and Mary Eunice Harlan were married on September 24, 1868.[7] They had two daughters and one son:[8]

In an era before air conditioning, Robert, Mary and the children would often leave the hot city life behind in summer for the cooler climate of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. During the 1880s the family would "summer" at the Harlan home. The Harlan-Lincoln home, built in 1876, still stands today. Donated by Mary Harlan Lincoln to Iowa Wesleyan College in 1907, it now serves as a museum with many artifacts from the Lincoln family and from Abraham Lincoln's presidency.[10]

For a time Mary Todd Lincoln lived with Robert and Mary Lincoln, but the two women apparently did not get along, and Mary Todd Lincoln moved out,[11] eventually being committed by Robert to Bellevue Place, a private sanitarium in Batavia, Illinois in May, 1875.[12] Some sources indicate that Mary Harlan Lincoln may have been an alcoholic, which negatively affected her relationship with her mother in law, husband and children. The available information is circumstantial, and this question has not been resolved with certainty.[13][14]

Robert and Mary Harlan Lincoln's mansion, Hildene, in Manchester, Vermont

Robert Lincoln pursued a successful career in law, business and politics, serving as Secretary of War from 1881 to 1885 under Presidents James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur. The Lincolns lived in London, England for a period of time as Robert served as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1889 to 1893 under President Benjamin Harrison. Afterwards, he returned to practicing law. Made quite wealthy by his law practice, which included General Counsel to, and later President of, the Pullman Palace Car Company the Lincolns lived at homes in Chicago, Washington, and Hildene in Manchester, Vermont.[15]

In 1899 her father died and left her an Italianate house on the Iowa Wesleyan College campus; she donated it to the college in 1907 and it is now on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Harlan–Lincoln House," and contains memorabilia of the two families.[16]

By all accounts, Mary Harlan Lincoln was intensely private, and worked diligently to keep herself out of the public eye and prevent herself from being photographed. In addition to managing the family households, she was responsible for her husband's estate after his death in July 1926. She also oversaw charitable bequests and family trusts before her death.[17][18] Mary Harlan Lincoln died in Washington on March 31, 1937.[19] She was buried with her husband and son Jack at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 31.[20]

References
  1. Friends of Hildene, Four Marys and a Jessie: The Story of the Lincoln Women, 2005, page 70
  2. Charles Lachman, The Last Lincolns: The Rise and Fall of a Great American Family, 2008, page 84
  3. C.J. King, Friends of Hildene, Inc., Four Marys and a Jessie: The Story of the Lincoln Women, 2005, page 65
  4. Ruth Painter Randall, Lincoln's Sons, 1955, page 173
  5. Jason Emerson, Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln, 2012, page 94
  6. Gideon Welles, Edgar Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles, Volume 3, 1911, page 444
  7. Goff, John S. (1968). Robert Todd Lincoln: a Man in His Own Right. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 88. ISBN 9780598207395.
  8. Burkhimer, Michael (2003). 100 Essential Lincoln Books. Cumberland House Publishing. p. 214. ISBN 978-1-58182-369-1.
  9. Bruce Chadwick, The Two American Presidents: A Dual Biography of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, 1999, page 441
  10. Allt, Kate (12 February 2013). "Mt. Pleasant; the second Land of Lincoln". KTVO-TV via website. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  11. Charles Lachman, The Last Lincolns: The Rise & Fall of a Great American Family, 2008, page 279
  12. Mary Todd Lincoln's Stay at Bellevue Place Archived 2012-08-03 at the Wayback Machine. Showcase.netins.net. Retrieved on 2011-08-06.
  13. Jean H. Baker, Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography, 2008
  14. Group for the Use of Psychology in History, The Psychohistory Review, Volume 17, 1988, page 30
  15. Pullman Company, The Pullman News, Robert T. Lincoln, Second Pullman President, Dies, Volumes 5-6, August, 1926, page 113
  16. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  17. Samuel Agnew Schreiner, The Trials Of Mrs. Lincoln, 1987, page 309
  18. Mark E. Neely, Harold Holzer, The Lincoln Family Album, 1990, page 20
  19. Associated Press, St. Petersburg Independent, Todd Lincoln's Widow is Dead, April 1, 1937
  20. Arlington National Cemetery
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