Robert Todd Lincoln

Robert Todd Lincoln, born on August 1, 1843, in Springfield, Illinois, was the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. He was the only one of their four children to survive past eighteen and the only one to outlive both his parents. After graduating from Harvard College, Robert served as a captain on the staff of General Ulysses S. Grant during the closing days of the American Civil War.

Following the war, Robert married Mary Eunice Harlan, and together they had three children. He pursued a successful career as a business lawyer, establishing a prominent law practice in Chicago that catered to corporate clients. His legal expertise led him to significant roles in government, including serving as the United States Secretary of War from eighteen eighty-one to eighteen eighty-five and as the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain from eighteen eighty-nine to eighteen ninety-three.

In addition to his political career, Robert became the general counsel for the Pullman Company. After the death of founder George Pullman in eighteen ninety-seven, he ascended to the presidency of the company, a position he held until his retirement in nineteen eleven. He continued to serve as chairman of the board until nineteen twenty-four, further solidifying his influence in the business world.

In his later years, Robert resided in Washington, D.C., and Manchester, Vermont, where his home, Hildene, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in nineteen seventy-seven. He participated in the dedication ceremonies for the Lincoln Memorial in nineteen twenty-two. Robert Todd Lincoln passed away at Hildene on July 26, 1926, at the age of eighty-two, and was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.