Robert Todd Lincoln was saved from near-certain death by none other than Edwin Booth, the brother of the very man who would take the life of Abraham Lincoln in the wake of the Civil War. Wikimedia Commons Robert Todd Lincoln’s military career was less than heroic as he spent most of his time enlisted out of combat.Īn odd and rather chilling coincidence preceding President Lincoln’s assassination took place sometime in either 1863 or 1864. While this eased Mary Todd Lincoln’s anxiety, it only served to embarrass President Lincoln who felt that his son should receive no special treatment simply for being the child of the President of the United States. Thanks to his mother’s near-constant worrying, Robert was able to avoid combat service for the vast majority of the war. He entered Harvard Law school but quickly dropped out in order to join the Union Army in the waning moments of the Civil War. Per Welsh historian and author Jan Morris: “Having failed 15 out of 16 subjects in the Harvard entrance exam, got in at last and emerged an unsympathetic bore.” Robert Todd Lincoln’s Unimpressive Military CareerĪfter graduating in 1864, Robert decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and practice law. No matter the case, it is clear that he was well-liked but possibly nothing more or less. It is possible that riding on the coattails of his father’s political reputation was enough to allow Robert to coast while doing the bare minimum. “While highly intelligent and well-read, Robert at Harvard was not a bookworm…as he wrote during his senior year, ‘I have studied enough to satisfy myself without being a dig.’ In fact, while Robert did not ignore his studies, he seems to have spent more time participating in school-sponsored extracurricular activities as well as chumming around with his friends.” In Jason Emerson’s biography of Robert Lincoln entitled Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. However, his tenure at Harvard found him more preoccupied with socializing than with his studies. Robert Todd’s time at the Academy proved useful as in his second attempt at the Harvard entrance exam he passed with ease. As a temporary salve to being denied enrollment, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy in the hopes of further preparing for college acceptance. In 1859, Robert Lincoln made an attempt at the Harvard College entrance exam but ultimately failed 15 of the 16 subjects. He had developed the nickname “Prince of Rails” in homage to his father’s 1860 “Railsplitter” Campaign, a nickname he allegedly loathed. Wikimedia Commons Robert Todd Lincoln, depicted third from right, was the oldest of Lincoln’s sons and the most estranged.īy the time Abraham Lincoln entered the office of the Presidency in 1861, Robert Todd Lincoln was already living independently of his parents.
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