Mary Todd Lincoln, also called Molly, was born in 1818 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. From 1861 to 1865, She served as the first lady of the United States. Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of Abraham Lincoln who was the 16th president of the United States and the daughter of Robert Smith, a successful businessman and a great politician. She belongs to a very prosperous, sophisticated, respectable and political family who luckily received all material benefits in her father’s home.
Mary Todd Lincoln was fluent in both English and French and gained an excellent education in the girls’ school under Charlotte Mentelle. Her knowledge of cultural studies and arts was excellent. She was happy, energetic, full of life, and vivacious at her young age. She was a rounded-faced girl of height 5 fits 2 inches with rich dark brown hair, beautiful complexation, and lots of ambitions in her blue-greyish eyes. Her personality was very charming and unique. Because she was born into a big wealthy political family, she had great knowledge and interest in politics too.
When Mary Todd was only 6 years old, her mother Eliza died. After the death of Mary’s mother, Robert remarried. Mary was the 4th child of Robert’s sixteen children from two wives. After the death of her mother, She used to spend lots of time with her grandmother instead of her stepmother.
Mary Todd Lincoln moved to boarding school in 1832 and started living with Elizabeth, Mary’s sister from 1839 when she was nearly 21 years old. The family of her sister was very much engaged in the local politics. At her sister’s home, she met with Abraham Lincoln, a 31-year-old struggling lawyer, for the very first time where they both fell in love with each other. In contrast to Mary’s background, Abraham belongs to a less stable financial background. In November 1842, the couple married in Springfield, Illinois. She had much trust in Abraham and believed in his ability and married Abraham despite various objections from her sister, Elizabeth due to lack of political prospects.
Mary Todd Lincoln’s Life After Marriage
Mrs Abraham’s post-marriage life was hard, and full of struggle because she never felt any financial and other family burden before. She was the mother of Robert, Edward, Willie and ( Thomas) Tad. Within a few years of her marriage, She lost her 3-year-old son, Edward and his husband couldn’t manage to give her much time due to his career but she was still happy. From 1842 to 1860, she played the role of wife, mother to 3 sons, household manager, supporter and political advisor of Abraham in his political career. She hosted various events to support him as she was a very good conversationalist. In 1860, their hard work paid off and Abraham was elected in the presidential election.
Mary Todd Lincoln accepted the role of first lady with full enthusiasm in 1861. She was in love with fashion and used to get praised by others for her dressing style. She got clicked in a beautiful white silk evening dress which had embroidery of a small bunch of flowers and tiny dots at Mathew Brady’s portrait studio in 1861. Her dress in the White House includes a satin polyester jacquard 2-piece Victorian dress, skirts with adjustable strings, Victorian fascinator headpiece. During the Washington winter session of 1861 – 1862, Mary wore a purple velvet dress which is believed to have been made by the great African American Dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckly.
Mary Todd Lincoln life in the white house during the Civil War was very hectic, full of pressure and criticism. Mary was well aware of the anxieties or pressure that her husband was encountering during the war. The year 1862 was full of grief for her due to the death of her 11-year-old son, Willie from typhoid. The year 1865 again shattered her pieces when she witnessed the assassination of her beloved husband, Abraham Lincoln.
Life of Mary Todd Lincoln after the Assassination of Abraham
Mary Todd Lincoln fought a lot to get her widow’s pension due to her distorted financial condition after the assassination of Abraham. Unfortunately, she lost her son Tad also before he would have attained the age of twelve. Now out of 4 sons, only one, Robert survived till manhood.
She started believing in spiritualism to connect with her lost loved ones, after so many deaths and the assassination of her husband, she was fully devastated. In 1875 The former first lady was forced to spend several months in the mental asylum in Batavia, Illinois believing that she was mentally ill. The question of her mental health is still controversial. Marry Todd suffered frequent migraines pain, depression and chronic multi-system pernicious anaemia. Some theories claim that she was also having bipolar disorder.
At the death anniversary of one of her sons, Todd, she went into a Coma and died the very next day on July 1882 in Springfield Illinois United States at her sister’s home due to a stroke, after seventeen years of her husband’s death. Soon before her death, she spent several years in Europe.
Mary Todd Lincoln House
The Mary Todd Lincoln House is the childhood home of Mary Todd Lincoln which is now a historic museum situated in Lexington, Kentucky. Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of the 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln. This building is a Georgian-style brick building built in 1803-1806 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
The Mary Todd Lincoln House converted as a museum displays the life of Mary Todd Lincoln starting from her childhood in Lexington to the time she became the first lady of the US. The museum also has a collection of furniture, paintings, and other artilleries used by the Lincoln family.
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FAQs
What was Mary Todd Lincoln’s height?
The height of Mary Todd Lincoln was 1.57m.