The Last Lincolns:
“Now he belongs to the ages” is the famous quote attributed to Edwin Stanton upon the death of Abraham Lincoln. Charles Latham expands this quote to “Now they belong to the ages, warts and all.” This is the story of the Lincoln descendants and their place in history. And what a place it is. Latham provides a vivid portrait of a family’s footprint on history. The author regales us with a well-written and fascinating account of how a family lived with the legacy of a famous ancestor. The journey follows a strict chronological format beginning with Lincoln’s death in 1865 and terminating with the passing of the last descendant in 1985. At times it is hard to put down this readable book. It is informative, well documented and illustrated with an interesting photo array of the descendants, including Robert Beckwith, the last Lincoln descendant, whose chauffeur may have been the infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper.. Yet, however enthralling it is, it is not without fault. There are errors regarding dates and time frames. Too much attention is paid to Mary Todd Lincoln. She occupies the first 280 pages. That leaves only 140 pages to discuss the other descendents. Although Robert Todd Lincoln is included throughout the text, he deserved a bit more scrutiny. I also felt that Latham relied too much on the writings of William Herndon. Much of his information is hearsay and conjecture. His known dislike for Mary Lincoln clouds the issues presented here, and I found it difficult to accept some of it. The author also relied on too much secondary source material and not enough primary sources. Despite those issues, this is an excellent addition to Lincoln literature. We are given a glimpse into a segment of the Lincoln legacy that has not been readily available. Lachman sums up his story by stating that, instead of emulating Abraham Lincoln’s genius, public service and ambition, the last generation of Lincolns symbolized dishonor and decadence of the upper class that brought about the utter destruction of the House of Lincoln. I will leave that determination to the readers but recommend you add this book to your reading list to get a full picture of the Lincoln legacy. Reviewer: Joseph A. Truglio Joseph A. Truglio is president and business agent for a motion picture film technicians local union and a lifelong student of the Civil War. His memberships include the Lincoln Group of New York and New Jersey Civil War Heritage Assn. He is president of the Phil Kearny Civil War Round Table in Wayne, N.J.
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