William D. Kelley (1814-1890) “Pig Iron.” William Kelley served as a Philadelphia congressman from 1861-1890. Loyal Lincoln ally and frequent White House visitor, Kelley was a fervent critic of General George B. McClellan. His 1864 renomination became a major political quarrel in which… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Cordelia A. P. Harvey (1824-1898) Cordelia A. P. Harvey was a one-time school teacher and the widow of Wisconsin Governor Louis P. Harvey. He died in 1862 – two months into his gubernatorial term when he slipped when crossing between two boats and drowned in the… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

John P. Hale (1806-1873) Hale was a born critic and a natural pain to any Administration in power. Biographer Richard H. Sewell wrote: “For sixteen years a leading defender of a minority faith, a political guerrillist to whom party loyalty meant little, Hale never… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

James B. Fry (1827-1894) James B. Fry was a West Point graduate and artillery specialist who was served briefly in the Mexican-American War. He came to Washington in the winter of 1861 to help protect the government during President Lincoln’s inauguration. He served as… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

James M. Ashley (1824-1896) James M. Ashley was a newspaper editor, Ohio Congressman (1859-1869) and the prime sponsor of the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery. He was more radical than President Lincoln but cooperated with him to… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Jacob Collamer (1791-1865) Collamer took a leading role in the effort of Senate Republicans to change the Cabinet in mid-December 1862. As Maine Senator William Fessenden later recalled, Collamer’s involvement in the Senate caucus that sought… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Sojourner Truth ( 1797-1883) Christened Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner Truth was a Black abolitionist, who developed attitudes more favorable towards President Lincoln than some of her colleagues.   “Hoping to visit Lincoln, Sojourner, when she was about sixty-seven years old, made a long, round-about journey from…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

William Howard Russell (1820-1907) William Howard Russell was the Washington correspondent for the London Times, whose coverage was influential in forming British opinion and who the American government cultivated as a vehicle of… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Prince Napolean Prince Napolean, called “Plon Plon”, was the Nephew of Napoleon I and cousin of Napoleon III. He visited the White House in early August 1861. His visit to Washington was relatively short compared to the extensive… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Seth Kinman (1815-1888) Lincoln scholar Stanley Kimmel wrote that after presenting the chair and explaining the seven years of hunting that went into its production, Kinman told “the President that he had another little keepsake with him in the form of a…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House >