 This presentation will be Emerson's first appearance in Illinois
since his newly released biography on Robert Lincoln, Abraham
Lincoln's oldest son. Entitled "Giant in the Shadows: The Life of
Robert T. Lincoln," the new publication has been long-anticipated by
the Abraham Lincoln scholarship community.Although he was Abraham
and Mary Lincoln's oldest and last surviving son, the details of
Robert T. Lincoln's life are misunderstood by some and unknown to
many others. With the last biography of Robert Lincoln published
nearly a half-century ago, Emerson draws upon previously unavailable
materials to offer the first truly definitive biography of the
famous lawyer, businessman and statesman who became much more than
merely the son of America's most famous president by making his own
indelible mark on one of the most progressive and dynamic eras in
United States history.
As a president's son, a Union soldier, minister to Great Britain
and a U.S. secretary of war, Robert Lincoln was indisputably a titan
of his age. Much like his father, he became one of the nation's most
respected and influential men, building a successful law practice in
the city of Chicago, serving shrewdly as president of the Pullman
Car Co. and at one time even being considered as a candidate for the
U.S. presidency.
Emerson has already garnered much praise for his book. Respected
historian Wayne C. Temple said of "Giant in the Shadows" that it is
"beautifully written" and calls the book "one of the best Lincoln
books to appear in many years."
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"Having had several conversations with Jason about this book,"
says Lincoln Heritage Museum director Ron Keller, "I can safely say
that some of the conclusions that Emerson makes in ‘Giant in the
Shadows' will dramatically alter people's perceptions about the
complex relationships that Robert had with his parents, Abraham and
Mary Lincoln."
As an added interest to the Logan County region, Emerson notes in
his book several references Robert Lincoln made to the city of
Lincoln.
Jason Emerson is a journalist and an independent historian who
has been researching and writing about the Lincoln family for nearly
20 years. His previous books include "The Madness of Mary Lincoln,"
"Lincoln the Inventor" and "The Dark Days of Abraham Lincoln's
Widow, as Revealed by Her Own Letters." He lives near Syracuse, N.Y.
The presentation is free, and books will be available for sale
afterward for $39.95 plus tax.
For more information, contact Keller at the Lincoln Heritage
Museum at 217-732-3155 or
rkeller@lincolncollege.edu.
[Text from file received from
Lincoln College] |
