Mary Todd Lincoln | Fun Facts, Marriage and Causes of Death

History of Mary Todd Lincoln: Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of Abraham Lincoln, USA’s 15th president. In the entire history of America, Mary Todd Lincoln is highly controversial regarding several facts. That’s why we will discuss Mary Todd Lincoln cause of death, Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd marriage, and Mary’s early life.

Although she is remembered as a person having poor judgment and an offensive personality, she is also known for her intelligence, assertive behavior, and being well educated. In addition, she was the wife and helpmate of Abraham Lincoln and a loving mother. She was born on 13th December 1818 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Mary was the daughter of Eliza Parker Todd and Robert Smith Todd. Robert was a successful businessman, and Eliza came from a distinguished family. As a young woman of that time, Mary had an excellent educational background. She even learned French later on. Unfortunately, her mother’s death in 1825 led to her father’s second marriage. She despised her stepmother and hence started spending time with her grandmother.

Let’s learn more about her early life.

Early Life of Mary Todd Lincoln

Mary was the daughter of a successful businessman and co-owner of a cotton mill. Back at that time, Mary had a high interest in politics due to her family’s influence. Her father was the Kentucky House of Representatives clerk, after which he won the election to the same body 3 times.

Mary’s mother died on 4th July 1825, when Mary wasn’t even 7 yet. It had a huge impact on mary. After her mother’s death, Mary Todd Lincoln moved to Springfield, Illinois, back in 1839 to live with her sister Elizabeth and her husband, Ninian Edwards. Like her parents, Mary was a Whig as well. She attracted many eyes, and her brother-in-law Ninian said that she was full of sunshine, had a sharp and quick sense of humor, and had well-honed social skills.

Abraham Lincoln And Mary Todd Marriage

Abraham Lincoln was the law partner of John Todd Stuart, Mary Todd’s cousin. He was also the leader of the Wing Party of Illinois and the state legislature’s member.

Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd married each other on 4th November 1842 in the Edwards home. Although Mary’s sister Elizabeth and her husband Ninian weren’t very satisfied with the marriage, Mary’s other family members were good with it.

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Mary Todd Lincoln later gave birth to four children. Her first child Robert became a successful attorney and president of the Pullman Car Company. He also became a millionaire. Her other child was Edward Baker Lincoln. His death made Mary delve into the depths of depression, and she experienced dreadful mourning.

Mary Todd Lincoln Cause Of Death

The death of her son Thomas after the death of Abraham Lincoln and her other two sons had a huge impact on her emotional well-being. She fell more into depression and had overpowering grief over her. She started behaving weirdly. Her only surviving son Robert got aware of her erratic behavior. She walked around the city in her petticoats (underskirts) with $56,000 in government bonds sewn into them.

Due to all her erratic behaviors, Robert, her son, started the procedure to admit her to an asylum in Batavia, Illinois. She even tried to commit suicide. She went from pharmacy to pharmacy to buy laudanum and kill herself. Later on, Mary Todd Lincoln got released with her custody to Elizabeth. She was estranged from Robert due to all this and hence didn’t see him until shortly before her death.

Exactly 11 years after her youngest son’s death, Mary Todd Lincoln died. At her sister’s home, she suddenly collapsed and went into a coma. The next morning, she was found dead due to a stroke. At that time, she was 63 years old. Hence, Mary Todd Lincoln Cause Of Death was a stroke.

Mary Todd Lincoln Fun Facts

There are some Mary Todd Lincoln fun facts that many people may not know about. Some of the facts include:

Mary used to be a staunch abolitionist even though her family was benefited from slavery. Some say that it was due to the safe house of Mary’s grandmother on the Underground Railroad.
Mary had another suitor named Stephen Douglas before Abraham Lincoln.
Mary Todd Lincoln followed spiritualism as a woman of the 19th century.
Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd’s engagement was called off by Abraham Lincoln once.
Mary Todd Lincoln received a Tiffany seed pearl necklace and bracelet set worth $13,300 (present time) after the first few years of their marriage that went into relative poverty.
She had to petition for a widow’s pension that was granted in 1870.
Mary Todd Lincoln had 15 siblings.
Mary’s 8 siblings were supporters of the Confederacy. Her 3 brothers even fought for the Confederacy.

First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln

Mary Todd Lincoln became the first lady during the Civil War. Her loyalties in the White House were suspected, and several rumors were there regarding Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency.

She made some unwise decisions as the First Lady that led to unwanted attacks on her. She even undertook the responsibility of maintaining the White House, which included replacing the broken furniture with old wallpaper and refurbishing the old building’s interior.

Conclusion

Mary Todd Lincoln was born on 13th December 1818 into a wealthy family. Her life went well until her mother’s death, after which she spent more time with her grandmother. Later on, she went to live with her sister in Illinois. After that, she met Abraham Lincoln. Soon after that, Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd got married.

They had 4 children, all boys. However, only one child named Robert survived till adulthood. Then, Abraham Lincoln got assassinated, and after a few years, her youngest son also died. This made Mary very depressed. Then, her life was tough where even her son Robert didn’t support her due to her erratic behavior.

She died in July 1882 due to a stroke. Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd’s remains are entombed in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.