Lincoln and The Windy City
Though he moved to Illinois when he was 22, Abraham Lincoln did not find himself in Chicago until 1847. In July, Chicago hosted its River and Harbor Convention which was attended by hundreds of visitors, including delegates and the general public. Horace Greeley reported on the convention in the New York Tribune and gave a poignant description of the 38-year-old Illinois congressman:
“In the afternoon Hon. Abraham Lincoln, a tall specimen of an Illinoisan, just elected to Congress from the only Whig district in the state was called on and spoke briefly and happily.”
Lincoln had been asked to speak, and in most newspaper stories, the reporters and secretaries did not think his speech was important enough to quote directly to their readers. Greeley and the Times carry one of the only mentions of Lincoln’s impromptu speech. This was also the first meeting of Lincoln and Greeley.
The following day, the Chicago Journal wished Lincoln well: “Abraham Lincoln, the only Whig representative to congress from this state we are happy to see, is in attendance upon the convention. This is his first vision to the commercial emporium of the state and we have no doubt his visit will impress him more deeply, if possible, with its importance and inspire a higher zeal for the great interest of river and harbor improvements. We expect much of him as a representative in congress, and we gave no doubt our expectations will be more than realized, for never was reliance placed in a nobler heart and a sounder judgement. We know the banner he bears will never be sullied.”
The expectations Lincoln had placed upon him after his initial visit to Chicago were an indication of what was to come. Illinois would continue to praise, but also expect, Lincoln’s excellency as a politician, and eventually, as president. Lincoln would not only be invited to speak at the Court House, but he would also give a eulogy for Zachary Taylor on July 25, 1850.
Lincoln and his wife went to the “Wigwam” in Chicago where he had been nominated for the presidency, and later that day, November 22, 1860, the Lincolns met for the first time with Vice President-elect Hannibal Hamlin at the Custom House.
Some of the most important political meetings that Lincoln attended in Chicago were held at the Tremont House. The initial meeting, in April 1854, was a conglomeration of Whigs and Republicans who opposed Stephen Douglas. On December 10, 1856, Lincoln attended and was a leading speaker at a Republican banquet. Lincoln and Douglas would meet at the Tremont House on July 24, 1858, and that meeting would pave the way for the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates across Illinois.
Lincoln did not travel to Chicago alone. As mentioned, his wife, Mary, traveled with him to meet Hannibal Hamlin and in June of 1859, young Willie Lincoln when to Chicago with his father and wrote a letter describing the hotel room they were staying in. With Lincoln’s connections to the Windy City, it’s hard to imagine that there wasn’t a level of influence on the soon-to-be president.
Lincoln’s last visit to Chicago was in the first few days of May 1865 as his funeral train processed through on its way to Springfield. Lincoln lay in state at the Chicago Court House, a place he had often visited on legal business, from 11 a.m. on May 1 to 3:30 p.m. on May 2. For a time, Mrs. Lincoln and Tad lived in Chicago on W. Washington Street. Starting in 1866, Tad attended school at the Brown School, and his older brother, Robert, lived off of Lake Shore Ave. while he worked as the president of the Pullman Car and Manufacturing Company.
