Local Government TV

Friday, October 17, 2014

Did You Know?

Robert Todd Lincoln has the dubious distinction of being the only person present for three of our nation's presidential assassinations? He was there for his father, as well as James Garfield and William McKinley in 1901. It was not until McKinley was shot that Secret Service agents were assigned to protect the President. It was thought to be too un-American. 

17 comments:

  1. He was there when three presidents died! Coincidence?

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  2. Was he at the Council meeting last night?

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  3. Special Agent Gibbs, NCISOctober 17, 2014 at 7:43 AM

    @3:06
    There is no such thing as coincidence.

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  4. Man, if I lived in the day, and saw Robert Todd Lincoln when I arrived at a white tie dinner, I'd fish tail it out of there immediately. Bass, pickerel, whatever.

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  5. Ironically, John Wilkes Booth's brother Edwin saved Robert Todd Lincoln from being crushed to death by a train when he slipped off a platform.

    http://www.historynet.com/edwin-booth

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  6. I don't think Robert Lincoln was in Ford's Theater when his father was shot. He was at the White House and was rushed to his father's deathbed at Peterson House.

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  7. My source is Millard's "Destiny of the Republic", which I've just finished. But an anonymous comment is much more credible.

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  8. Robert Todd was at the theatre although he was not in the box where the shooting took place. He was at the Peterson House and slept in one of the rooms while his father lay dieing in another. It is well documented. Great story Bernie!

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  9. John S. Goff's biography, "Robert Todd Lincoln: A Man in His Own Right":

    "That evening Robert was in his room at the White House when news that his father had been shot reached him. He departed immediately and spent the night at his father's bedside and comforting his mother."

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  10. I only believe it if Fox news reported it.

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  11. A more interesting story about Robert Lincoln is his dealings as a railroad lawyer. He capitalized on having inside information about the eventual route of the transcontinental railroad and did very well for himself. Southerners wanted the route to mirror current day I-5 through the south. Northerners, including Abe Lincoln, wanted a route that mirrors I-80. We know who prevailed and the Lincolns were very involved in land sales along that eventual route. Fascinating stuff and a reminder that some things never change.

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  12. Maybe the reason they didn't use the current I-5 route is because it runs from Seattle to San Diego, not across the continent?

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  13. Yeah, it's easy to see why they didn't choose a transcontinental railroad along the route of I-5. I believe the poster meant I-10.

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  14. I-20/I-10, actually. Winning Civil Wars has its advantages.

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  15. I saw a special on C-Span probably about 11 or 12 years ago. The author spoke to how rich American history is in assignation attempts of it's leader. If I recall, no country has had more democratically elected President's killed by assigns than us. And something like every fourth president will have an attack on them. So I guess at one time, the odds were good for this.


    Also, Jefferson Davis and his wife had a large family. But they outlived all but their oldest (She went shortly after them). Started with the youngest who died from a fall from a second floor window of the Confederate White House. They had many tragedies among their children following that war.

    Lot's of weird karma from the civil war.

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  16. WELL FOLKS, I,m putt n on this record Today is 24 Oct 14- I witnessed bad boys from New YORK here to today they were not here to visit Crayola . They are her for a 'DEAL " or they are stay n ----I predict a hit on somebody this week-end by the looks of them and who they were dealing with.

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