Tad Lincoln
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Thomas "Tad" Lincoln (April 4, 1853 – July 15, 1871) was the fourth and youngest son of the 16th president of the United States
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
and his wife
Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (Birth name, née Todd; December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) was First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865. Mary Todd was born into a large and wealthy ...
.


Early life and education

Thomas Lincoln was born on April 4, 1853, the fourth son of
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
and Mary Todd. His three elder brothers were
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
(1843–1926),
Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...
(1846–1850), and
William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
(1850–1862). Named after his paternal grandfather Thomas Lincoln, he was soon nicknamed "Tad" by his father, for his small body and large head, and because as an infant he wiggled like a
tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...
.Wead (2003), pp. 89–90. Tad's first name has occasionally been erroneously recorded as Thaddeus. Tad was born with a form of
cleft lip and palate A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The ...
, which caused him speech problems throughout his life. He had a
lisp Lisp (historically LISP, an abbreviation of "list processing") is a family of programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized Polish notation#Explanation, prefix notation. Originally specified in the late 1950s, ...
and delivered his words rapidly and unintelligibly.Hutchinson (2009), para. 2. Often only those close to Lincoln were able to understand him.Hutchinson (2009), para. 11.Bayne (2001), p. 3. For example, he called his father's bodyguard,
William H. Crook William Henry Crook (October 15, 1839March 13, 1915) was one of President Abraham Lincoln's bodyguards in 1865. After Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln's assassination (while Crook was off duty), he continued to work in the White House fo ...
, "Took," and his father "Papa Day" instead of "Papa Dear."Hutchinson (2009), para. 16. The cleft palate contributed to uneven teeth; he had such difficulty chewing food that his meals were specially prepared.Hutchinson (2009), para. 22. Lincoln and his brother Willie were considered "notorious hellions" during the period they lived in Springfield. William Herndon, Abraham Lincoln's law partner, wrote about the times Lincoln would bring the boys to work with him in Illinois: "The boys were absolutely unrestrained in their amusement.  If they pulled down all the books from the shelves, bent the points of all the pens, overturned inkstands, scattered law papers over the floor or threw the pencils into the spittoon, it never disturbed the serenity of their father's good nature."


White House years

Upon their father's election as President, both Tad and Willie moved into the White House and it became their new playground and home. At the request of Mrs. Lincoln, Julia Taft brought her younger brothers, 14-year-old "Bud" (Horatio Nelson Taft Jr., 1847–1915) and 12-year-old "Holly" (Halsey Cook Taft, 1849–1897), to the White House, and they became playmates of the two young Lincolns.Wead (2003), p. 91.Bayne (2001), pp. 1–3. In February 1862, both Lincoln boys contracted
typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...
and both boys were bedridden. Willie died on February 20, while Tad recovered. However he cried frequently for a month, not only for his brother's death, but for the loss of his other two playmates Bud and Holly, for his mother sent them away after Willie's death, because they reminded her too much of him. After Willie's death, Tad's parents became even more lenient toward Tad's behavior, and Tad spent nearly all his time with his father.Wead (2003), pp. 91–92. During the time his father was alive, Tad was impulsive and unrestrained, and did not attend school.
John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a Secretary to the President of the United States, private secretary for Abraha ...
wrote that the boy's numerous tutors in the White House usually quit in frustration. Tad had free run of the White House, and there are stories of him interrupting presidential meetings, collecting animals, charging visitors to see his father, and more. On April 14, 1865, Tad went to Grover's Theatre to see the play ''Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp'' while his parents attended the performance of
Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...
's play ''
Our American Cousin ''Our American Cousin'' is a three-act play by English playwright Tom Taylor. It is a farce featuring awkward, boorish American Asa Trenchard, who is introduced to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family e ...
'' at
Ford's Theatre Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in 1863. The theater is best known for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater box where ...
. That night, his father was assassinated by
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
sympathizer
John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, assassinated United States president Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the p ...
. When news of the assassination spread to Grover's Theatre, the manager made an announcement to the entire audience. Tad began running and screaming: "They killed Papa! They killed Papa!" Tad was escorted back to the White House, while his mother pleaded to have him brought to his father's deathbed at the
Petersen House The Petersen House is a 19th-century Federal architecture, federal style row house in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 516 10th Street NW, several blocks east of the White House. It is known for being the house where President o ...
. "Bring Tad—he will speak to Tad—he loves him so." Late that night, an inconsolable Tad was put to bed by a White House doorman.Wead (2003), p. 93. President Lincoln died the next morning, on Saturday, April 15, at 7:22 am. About the death of his father, Tad said:
Pa is dead. I can hardly believe that I shall never see him again. I must learn to take care of myself now. Yes, Pa is dead, and I am only Tad Lincoln now, little Tad, like other little boys. I am not a president's son now. I won't have many presents anymore. Well, I will try and be a good boy, and will hope to go someday to Pa and brother Willie, in Heaven.Wead (2003), pp. 93–94.


Later life

After the assassination, Mary, Robert, and Tad Lincoln lived together in Chicago. Robert moved out after a short time, and Tad began attending school. In 1868, they left Chicago and lived in Europe for almost three years, in Germany and later in England. Lincoln suffered from what one modern commentator has called a "complex speech and language disorder" related to some form of a cleft lip or palate. This caused some problems when Lincoln was in school in Chicago. While at the Elizabeth Street School in that city, his schoolmates sometimes called him "Stuttering Tad" because of the speech impediment, which he was able to learn how to manage as a teenager.


Death

On Saturday morning, July 15, 1871, Lincoln died at the age of 18 at the Clifton House hotel in Chicago. The cause of death has been variously referred to as
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
, a pleuristic attack,
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
, or
congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...
. In an obituary,
John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a Secretary to the President of the United States, private secretary for Abraha ...
affectionately referred to him as "Little Tad." Funeral services were held for Lincoln in his brother Robert's home in Chicago. His body was transported to Springfield and buried in the
Lincoln Tomb The Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States; his wife Mary Todd Lincoln; and three of their four sons: Edward Baker Lincoln, Edward, William ...
at
Oak Ridge Cemetery Oak Ridge Cemetery is an American cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. The Lincoln Tomb, where Abraham Lincoln, his wife and all but one of their children lie, is there, as are the graves of other prominent Illinois figures. Opened in 1860, it ...
, alongside his father and two of his brothers. Robert accompanied the casket on the train, but Mary was too distraught to make the trip.Davenport, pages 153 –154


Screen portrayals


See also

* Lincoln family tree


Notes


References


Sources

* * * *


External links


Tad Lincoln – brief biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln, Thomas 1853 births 1871 deaths American people of English descent American people of Scottish descent Burials at Oak Ridge Cemetery Children of presidents of the United States Lincoln family People from Springfield, Illinois