Abraham Lincoln & Friends

Stephen A. Hurlbut (1815-1882)

Stephen A. Hurlbut (1815-1882) Historian Jeffrey N. Lash wrote that President “Lincoln sought to use Hurlbut to counterbalance the influence of more radical – or perhaps more conservative – political generals serving in the…” Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

Abner Y. Ellis (1807-1878)

Abner Y. Ellis (1807-1878) Abner Y. Ellis was a New Salem merchant in 1832 when he met Abraham Lincoln. Later, Ellis set up business in Springfield where he partnered with Joshua F. Speed, with whom Lincoln… Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

Robert Boal (1806-1903)

Robert Boal (1806-1903) Boal met Lincoln in 1842 and became a strong supporter of Lincoln’s politics and political ambitions. When it appeared in 1846 that former Congressman John J. Hardin would seek reelection to Congress… Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

Robert L. Wilson (1805-1880)

Robert L. Wilson (1805-1880) In 1837 Wilson and Lincoln were key allies in the passage of legislation to move the Illinois state capital from Vandalia to Springfield. Wilson recalled: “The contest on this bill was…” Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

Archibald Williams (1801-1863)

Archibald Williams (1801-1863) Fellow attorney Henry C. Whitney called Williams “one of Lincoln’s most cherished friends, and a man of no possible humor himself when I knew him.” Whitney wrote that… Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

Newton Bateman (1822-1897)

Newton Bateman (1822-1897) Bateman recalled : “Mr. Lincoln was very fond of children. His surviving friends in Springfield will never forget the long-familiar spectacle of his towering form in the street with Rob or Will or Tad, or all three, perhaps…” Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

William A. Richardson (1811-1875)

William A. Richardson (1811-1875) Richardson first met Lincoln during the Black Hawk War of 1832. They served together in the Illinois State House of Representatives in the mid-1830s. Richardson remained a Lincoln political opponent for… Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

Bowling Green (? – 1842)

Bowling Green (? – 1842) Historian Michael Burlingame wrote: “Lincoln found a surrogate father in Bowling Green, a rotund, easygoing, humorous, jovial ‘reading man’ from North Carolina known as a gifted spinner of…” Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

Orlando B. Ficklin (1808-1886)

Orlando B. Ficklin (1808-1886) Lincoln and Ficklin debated in July 1843 – the year that Ficklin first joined Congress. The Illinois State Register, which supported Democrats, reported of Lincoln’s speech: “It was a little amusing…” Abraham Lincoln and Friends >

Lawrence Weldon (1829 – 1905)

Lawrence Weldon (1829 – 1905) Weldon remembered: “I can see Mr. Lincoln now, through the fading memories of forty years, as clearly as if it were yesterday. He was always clean shaven, wearing no…” Abraham Lincoln and Friends >