Tad Lincoln (1853

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Biography

Thomas "Tad" Lincoln was the fourth and youngest son of the 16th president of the United States Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln.

Timeline

The story of Tad Lincoln, told in moments.

1853 Birth

Born Thomas Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois. Fourth son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. His father nicknamed him "Tad" because as a baby he wiggled like a tadpole. Born with a cleft palate that gave him a lisp all his life.

What was being the president's wildest son like? Did your cleft palate and lisp bother you or just everyone else? Was your father's indulgence the best thing about the White House?

1861 Life

Moved into the White House at age eight. He and his brother Willie turned the mansion into a playground. Tore through rooms, interrupted cabinet meetings, and once fired a toy cannon at the door during a state dinner. Lincoln indulged it all.

What was it like turning the White House into your playground? Did you know you were interrupting Cabinet meetings? Was the toy cannon at the state dinner your finest moment?

1862 Event

His brother Willie died of typhoid fever at the White House. Tad was devastated. Mary Lincoln never fully recovered. Tad became his father's constant companion, often falling asleep in Lincoln's office.

How did Willie's death change everything? Did you understand how broken your mother became? Was becoming your father's constant companion chosen or needed?

1865 Event

Was watching a play at a different theater when his father was shot at Ford's Theatre. An actor came onstage and announced the president had been shot. Tad screamed, "They killed Papa." He was 12.

What do you remember about the night they shot Papa? Did the screaming in the theater feel like the world ending? How does a 12-year-old survive that?

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