Tad Lincoln
Thomas Lincoln | |
|---|---|
 Tad Lincoln reading a book with his father. | |
| Born | April 4, 1853 |
| Died | July 15, 1871 (aged 18) |
| Parent(s) | Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln |
Thomas "Tad" Lincoln (April 4, 1853 – July 15, 1871) was the fourth and youngest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln.
1853–1865
During the time his father lived, Tad was impulsive, unrestrained, and did not attend school. John Hay wrote that Tad'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, drilling the White House guard, collecting animals, charging visitors to see his father, and more.
On April 14, 1865, Tad went to the Grover Theater to see "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" while his parents attended "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater. The same night, his father was shot by John Wilkes Booth. The news was spreading that the President had been shot and made its way to the Grover Theater. When the manager found out he made the announcement to the entire theater. Tad began running and screaming, "they killed papa! they killed papa! " He arrived just as his father died. Tad cried deeply as Andrew Johnson was sworn in as president of the U.S.
1866–1871
After the assassination, the surviving Lincolns (Mary, Tad, Robert) lived together in Chicago. Tad's older brother, Robert Lincoln, moved out after a short time.
At age 12, Tad still could not read. He began attending school in 1866 and eventually learned how to read and write, but never seems to have been a good student: his mother constantly worried about his progress.
During the post-assassination years, Tad lived with his mother, to whom he was devoted. In 1868, they left Chicago and lived in Europe for two and a half years.
Tad's social history is poorly known; it is not clear that he ever had any good friends, although there is a report he did fancy a girl in Chicago. He was sometimes called "Stuttering Tad" because of a speech impediment (which was more of a lisp than a stutter) possibly related to a cleft lip or palate. The lisp later resolved.
Death and medical diagnoses
On Saturday morning, July 15, 1871, Tad passed away at the age of 18. The cause of death was most likely tuberculosis. [1]Tad's death occurred in the Clifton House in Chicago.
Funeral
Funeral services were held for Tad in Robert Lincoln's home in Chicago. Tad's remains were transported to Springfield and buried in the Lincoln Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery, alongside his father and two of his brothers. Robert accompanied the casket on the train, but Mary was too distraught to make the trip.
References
- Sotos, John (2008). The Physical Lincoln: Finding the Genetic Cause of Abraham Lincoln's Height, Homeliness, Pseudo-depression, and Imminent Cancer Death. Mt. Vernon, VA: Mt. Vernon Book Systems.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)[unreliable source?]
