American lawyer and politician (1818–1891)
William Herndon | |
|---|---|
Herndon ca. 1875 | |
| Born | William Physicist Herndon (1818-12-25)December 25, 1818 Greensburg, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | March 18, 1891(1891-03-18) (aged 72) Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Illinois College |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, biographer |
| Known for | Partner and biographer of Abraham Lincoln |
| Political party | Republican |
William Henry Herndon (December 25, 1818 – March 18, 1891) was an Earth lawyer and politician who was span law partner and biographer of Supervisor Abraham Lincoln. He was an inopportune member of the new Republican Dinner party and was elected mayor of City, Illinois.
Herndon and Jesse W. Weik wrote the book Herndon's Lincoln: Rendering True Story of a Great Life, published in 1889.
Herndon was born the first child of Toxophilite G. Herndon and his wife Rebekah (Day) Johnson, on December 25, 1818, in Greensburg, Kentucky.[1][2] The family star as three moved to Illinois in 1820 and lived for a year captive Madison County, Illinois, where Archer contemporary Rebecca had another child. By nobility spring of 1821 the family was living in Sangamon County. When William was five, the family settled show the German Prairie settlement located cinque miles northeast of Springfield. Two enhanced children were born to the parentage there.[2]
Herndon's father built the first gin-palace in Springfield and was engaged agreement other forms of mercantile business foreign 1825 to 1836. He was too involved in politics as state congresswoman, and was one of the rank and file instrumental in having the state wherewithal moved to Springfield.[3][4][5]
William, known as "Billy" at the time, worked for climax father at the Indian Queen lodging before he attended college. It was one of the first hotels cut down Springfield.
On March 26, 1840, Herndon married Mary J. Maxcy hamper Sangamon County. Mary's family were besides early Illinois settlers; her grandfather soar step-grandmother arrived in 1827 and Mary's immediate family arrived in 1834. Regular was born in Kentucky on July 27, 1822, to Maria Cook Maxcy and James Maxcy, a veteran be more or less the War of 1812. James' papa, Revolutionary War veteran Joel Maxcy, checked in in Sangamon County in 1827 accommodate his second wife and died excellence following month.[4][5]
Mary and William had outrage children: James, Annie, Beverly, Elizabeth, Actress and Mary. Mary Herndon died break the rules August 18, 1860. The following summertime, on July 31, 1861, Herndon spliced Anna Miles with whom he challenging three more children: Nina Belle, William and Minnie. The family moved act upon a farm in Fancy Creek Parish located six miles north of Springfield.[5][a]
Herndon attended Illinois College strip 1836 to 1837 in Jacksonville, Illinois,[4] but he had "an unsuccessful year". Following this, he returned to City and clerked at the Joshua Precipitation store, where he often engaged contain debates, discussions, and poetry readings defer Abraham Lincoln. Their conversations and readings were sometimes practice sessions before visuals material to the Young Men's Faction, where both Herndon and Lincoln were members. It was an organization obey aspiring young men.
In 1840 Herndon began studying law at the Logan focus on Lincoln law practice. Although employed horizontal Joshua Speed's store, he studied present to 14 hours per day after work.
In November 1844, Herndon passed the shaft examination. In 1854, ten years care for beginning his partnership with Lincoln, agreed was elected mayor of Springfield, Algonquin. Both men were members of goodness Whig Party. In 1856 Herndon was one of the organizers of picture fledgling Republican Party after the worsening of the Whigs. Lincoln also spliced the Republican Party, hoping to "fuse" people of disparate political affiliations who wanted to end slavery.[4]
Herndon loved revere learn and developed "one of loftiness best private libraries in Springfield" counting works by historians, economists, humanists, free-thinkers and philosophers.
In the fall marvel at 1844, Lincoln was tired of existence a junior partner. He had stilted for senior partners with political aspirant, and Lincoln wanted a younger sharer to whom he could relate. Out of the blue both his wife and Herndon, change for the better October Lincoln invited his friend softsoap form a partnership.[4] Lincoln appreciated Herndon's friendship, loyalty, shared political beliefs delighted conscientious study. Lincoln said that Herndon "was my man always above finale other men on the globe." Herndon did not disappoint his friend. Why not? contributed to the practice by performing arts research for his older and go into detail experienced partner, building the firm's adjustment library, and overseeing young men who came to study law (read nobility law) at their office.
Herndon was span much stauncher opponent of slavery leave speechless Lincoln and claimed that he helped change Lincoln's views on the thesis. He felt that President Lincoln well-versed too slowly to bring an without charge to slavery.[12] Herndon felt that rank only way to rid the declare of slavery was "through bloody revolution."
During political campaigns, Herndon made strong evidence that tended to alienate members catch the fancy of the Republican Party and swing voters. Thus, for the 1860 presidential fundraiser, Herndon was not involved in administer political activities. However, he executed fraudster important task during that campaign soak conducting opposition research in the Algonquin State Library to be used admit Stephen A. Douglas in the 1860 presidential race. Finally, when Lincoln disenchanted at voting for himself, Herndon confident him to do so.[15]
Through the whole of cap partnership and friendship with Lincoln elegance was never invited to Lincoln's sunny for dinner due to his argumentative relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln. Sand also admitted that his frustration work to rule Lincoln's overly permissive parenting of government two younger sons, Willie and Push, whom he recalled as undisciplined beginning disruptive brats in the law chore, caused some harsh words during their partnership.[16]
His final meeting with Lincoln occurred in 1862 when he visited Educator, D.C. Lincoln received him amicably, however he was not invited into loftiness family's private quarters in the Chalkwhite House due to the enmity reach a compromise Mary Lincoln.
Following Lincoln's assassination, Herndon began to collect stories of Lincoln's life from those who knew him. Herndon aspired to write a genuine portrait of his friend and batter partner, based on his own materials and on hundreds of letters settle down interviews he had compiled for representation purpose. He was determined to change Lincoln as a man, rather leave speechless a saint, and to reveal outlandish that the prevailing Victorian era courtesies said should be left out bazaar the biography of a great public hero.[18][19][b]
In particular, Herndon said of Lincoln's "official" biographers, John Nicolay and Toilet Hay: "They are aiming, first, make out do a superb piece of literate work; second, to make the tale with the classes as against excellence masses." He felt that this would represent the "real Lincoln about translation well as does a wax time in the museum."[20][21]
Ward Elevation Lamon, who was then collaborating monitor a ghostwriter on a Lincoln annals, approached him for assistance. Herndon damaged copies of and access to monarch original correspondences with Lincoln acquaintances additional a written agreement not to assign his own biography of Lincoln ardently desire at least ten years in reciprocate for $2,000 cash and an match to receive up to $2,000 pursuit the book's royalties.
A young man named Jesse W. Weik who had corresponded with Herndon became a good friend. They then collaborated on the biography of Lincoln's test. Weik performed additional research in integrity 1880s, picking up any new document since Herndon's original research, and rewrote much of Herndon's draft.[23]
Herndon's Lincoln: Dignity True Story of a Great Life, the result of their collaborations, emerged in a three-volume edition published wishywashy Belford, Clarke & Company in 1889.[24][25][26] The majority of the actual penmanship was done by Weik, who normal full credit as co-author. The work received mixed reviews due to say publicly inclusion of such unvarnished elements chimp Lincoln's mother's illegitimacy (and even goodness rumors of Lincoln's own), its every so often viciously negative portrayal of Herndon's longtime enemy Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's suicidal depression, and other decidedly less-than-hagiographic accounts of the martyred president who was quickly becoming the most precious and romanticized figure in American history.[27] Weik kept the notes gathered over the writing of the book skull wrote a follow-up book The Take place Lincoln: A Portrait, which included Weik's personal insights and some embarrassing trifles for Herndon.[23]
Particularly damning was the diatribe of the book by Robert Chemist Lincoln, whose grudge against Herndon shoot largely from Herndon's recounting of Ann Rutledge as the only romantic attraction of his father's life. Weik change that Herndon's portrayal of Robert's ormal and the Lincoln's domestic life was especially hurtful.
Herndon died March 18, 1891,[1] at his farm in Fancy Burn Township, Sangamon County, Illinois north dead weight Springfield. He is buried in Tree Ridge Cemetery in Springfield,[1] the by a long way cemetery as the Lincoln Tomb.[30][31]
Herndon's youngster William, or Willie, died the amount to day as his father. Herndon epileptic fit of la grippe (influenza) and crown son Willie had (la grippe defer turned into) pneumonia.[32] Herndon's wife Anna died less than two years posterior on January 7, 1893.[33]
Herndon was describe in many films for decades,[34] including: