Ward Hill Lamon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ward Hill Lamon
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Lamon c. 1860
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| Born | January 6, 1828 Winchester, Virginia, U.S.
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| Died | May 7, 1893 (aged 65) |
| Resting place | Gerrardstown, West Virginia |
| Education | University of Louisville |
| Occupation |
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| Known for | Being the bodyguard of Abraham Lincoln |
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Notable work
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The Life of Abraham Lincoln; From his Birth to his Inauguration as President |
| Spouse(s) |
Angelina Turner
(m. 1850; died 1859)Sally Logan
(m. 1860) |
| Children | Dorothy Lamon |
Ward Hill Lamon (born January 6, 1828 – died May 7, 1893) was a close friend and self-appointed bodyguard of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Lamon was not with Lincoln on the night of April 14, 1865, when Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre. Lincoln had sent him on a trip to Richmond, Virginia.
Contents
Ward Hill Lamon's Early Life
Ward Hill Lamon was born near Winchester, Virginia. When he was 19, he moved to Danville, Illinois, to live with relatives. He studied law at the University of Louisville and became a lawyer in Illinois in 1851.
In 1850, he married Angelina Turner. After she passed away in 1859, he married Sally Logan in 1860. Sally's father, Judge Stephen T. Logan, had been Lincoln's law partner.
Friendship with Abraham Lincoln
Lamon started working with Lincoln in 1852. He became a prosecuting attorney in Illinois. Even though Lamon and Lincoln had different ideas about some things, they remained good friends.
Lamon joined the Republican Party and helped Lincoln's campaign in 1860. He even printed extra tickets for a convention to make sure the hall was full of Lincoln's supporters.
When Lincoln was elected President, Lamon hoped for a job in another country. Instead, Lincoln asked him to come to Washington, D.C., saying, "Dear Hill, I need you." Lamon then traveled with Lincoln from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., in February 1861.
Protecting President Lincoln
Lamon was a big, strong man. During Lincoln's presidency, he often took it upon himself to protect Lincoln.
The Baltimore Plot of 1861
In February 1861, a detective named Allan Pinkerton discovered a plan to harm Lincoln. This plan, known as the Baltimore Plot, was supposed to happen when Lincoln arrived in Baltimore on his way to his inauguration in Washington.
Pinkerton suggested that Lincoln take a secret midnight train directly to Washington instead of riding through the city. Lamon was the only friend chosen to go with him. Lamon wanted Lincoln to carry a weapon, but Pinkerton disagreed, saying it would look bad for the President-elect to enter the capital armed.
Lincoln was secretly taken through Baltimore during the night. The train carrying Mrs. Lincoln and others went through Baltimore safely the next day. Lamon later wrote that he didn't believe there was a serious plot to murder Lincoln in Baltimore.
Lamon as U.S. Marshal
Soon after Lincoln became President in 1861, he made Lamon the United States Marshal for Washington, D.C.. Lamon held this job until June 1865.
One of Lamon's first tasks as Marshal was to visit Fort Sumter in South Carolina in March 1861. He met with the fort's commander and the governor of South Carolina. There are different stories about what Lamon was supposed to do during this visit. Some say he angered Lincoln by talking about the government possibly leaving Fort Sumter.
Even though the Marshal's job wasn't very demanding, Lamon took it upon himself to be Lincoln's personal bodyguard. He did this out of friendship. A friend of Lamon's said that Lamon would go to the White House every night to patrol the grounds. Lincoln's secretary, John Hay, wrote in his diary that he once saw Lamon sleeping outside Lincoln's bedroom door to protect him.
Lamon was not in Washington on the night Lincoln was assassinated. He was on a trip in Richmond. Lamon later wrote that before he left, he begged Lincoln not to "go out at night after [he] was gone, particularly to the theatre." After the assassination, Lamon joined the funeral procession that took Lincoln's body to Springfield, Illinois.
Lamon's Books About Lincoln
After Lincoln's death, Lamon wrote two books about the former President. The most famous one was a biography published in 1872 called The Life of Abraham Lincoln; From his Birth to his Inauguration as President. Much of this book was written by Chauncey Black.
The book contained some personal information about Lincoln that people at the time found surprising. For example, it claimed that Lincoln was not a religious person in the way many Christians understood it. This book did not sell well.
Lamon's second book, Recollections of Abraham Lincoln, was published after his death in 1895. This book was based on his own writings. In Recollections, Lamon changed his mind about the Baltimore Plot, saying that Lincoln was always in danger from the time he arrived in Maryland until his assassination. This second book is generally seen as more accurate by historians.
Later Years and Legacy
Lamon resigned as Marshal in June 1865. In 1866, he bought the special train car that had carried Lincoln's body to Springfield, Illinois. He was offered a job as Postmaster General, but he turned it down.
He later moved to Boulder, Colorado, and then to Denver. Because of health issues, he and his wife Sally returned to Washington in 1886. Sally passed away in Brussels in 1892.
Lamon moved to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where his daughter Dorothy cared for him until he passed away on May 7, 1893, at age 65. He was buried in Gerrardstown, West Virginia.
Some people who knew Lincoln or wrote about him did not always have a high opinion of Lamon. However, others saw him as a generous and good-humored person. A song written during Lincoln's re-election campaign in 1864 called Lamon "the President's protector."
Lamon's story is told in the 2013 film Saving Lincoln. This movie shows the threats against Lincoln from Lamon's point of view.
Ward Hill Lamon in Popular Culture
- Actor Lea Coco played Lamon in the 2013 film, Saving Lincoln.
- Actor Sam Elliott played Lamon in the 2015 documentary film The Gettysburg Address.
Images for kids
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Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg (seated center, highlighted in sepia). Ward Hill Lamon is seated to Lincoln's right.
