Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith
Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith | |
|---|---|
LLB) | |
| Occupation | Gentleman farmer |
| Spouses | Hazel Holland Wilson
(m. 1927; died 1966)Annemarie Hoffman
(m. 1967; div. 1976)Margaret Hogan Fristoe
(m. 1979) |
| Parent(s) | Warren Wallace Beckwith Jessie Harlan Lincoln |
| Relatives | Abraham Lincoln (great-grandfather) |
Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith (July 19, 1904 – December 24, 1985) was an American gentleman farmer and the great-grandson of Abraham Lincoln.[1] In 1975, he became the last known undisputed legal descendant of Lincoln when his sister, Mary Lincoln Beckwith, died without children.[2]
Early life
Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith was born in
Beckwith attended a private school in Washington, D.C., and New York Military Academy in Cornwall, New York, in addition to spending two years at his grandfather Robert Todd Lincoln's previous boarding school, Phillips Exeter Academy. He later received a law degree from what is now Georgetown University.[1]
Adulthood
Beckwith enjoyed boating and sailing and generally avoided the media and publicity. On one occasion, a newspaper published pictures of him as a young man when he was arrested for speeding in Omaha, Nebraska.
Beckwith's mother died in 1948 and in later life, he gave his profession as "gentleman farmer of independent means", his inheritance having included a working farm in Middlesex County, Virginia.[4][5][6]
Beckwith was a representative for Illinois Day as part of the 1964 New York World's Fair.[6] In June 1965, he received an honorary doctorate degree from his parents' school, Iowa Wesleyan College.[1] Also in 1965, he was a guest of honor at Chicago's commemoration ceremony upon the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's funeral.[6]
In 1967, Beckwith was quoted as saying he "was not especially interested" in his ancestors' life in the White House. He did however retain some Lincoln memorabilia, most of which he gave to the state of Illinois, and Lincoln's rifle which he later gave to the Smithsonian Institution.[1][6]
Marriages
Beckwith married three times, first to Hazel Frances Holland (formerly Wilson; 1899–1966), in March 1927, second to Annemarie Hoffman (born c. 1940), in November 1967, and third to Margaret Elizabeth Hogan (formerly Fristoe; 1921–2009), in 1979.[7] His marriage to Holland lasted nearly four decades, ending with her death in 1966. His marriage to Hoffman lasted almost nine years, ending in divorce in September 1976, and his marriage to Hogan ended with his own death, in 1985.
Beckwith never publicly acknowledged paternity for any child, making him the last confirmed descendant of
Death
Beckwith spent his life between Vermont and the Washington, D.C. vicinity. He died on December 24, 1985, in Hartfield, Virginia, where he had lived in a nursing home.[1][6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Last Surviving Descendant of Abraham Lincoln Dies". Associated Press. December 24, 1985. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
- ^ Lincoln's Last Descendant Dies. Madison Wisconsin Courier, December 26, 1985, from a clipping in Louis A. Warren Lincoln Library and Museum.
- ^ "Photo of Jessie Lincoln and Her Children". Picture History. c. 1912. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007.
- ^ ISSN 0003-4827.
- ISBN 978-1-4027-5890-4.
- ^ a b c d e "Great Grandson's Death Ends Lincoln Family Line". Chicago Tribune. December 26, 1985. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
- ^ Holley, Joe (March 17, 2009). "Obituary: Margaret Fristoe Beckwith Air Force Wife, Volunteer". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- ^ "The Law: Briefs". Law. Time. April 19, 1976. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ You, Brenda (April 20, 1994). "The Real End of the Line for Abe". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ Kleinberg, Eliot (February 12, 2018). "Is assistant state attorney last living descendant of Abraham Lincoln?". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Huggins, Will (February 6, 2013). "Indiana museum exhibit tries to debunk Lincoln myths". The Indianapolis Star. USA Today. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ Beschloss, Michael (February 28, 1994). "Last of the Lincolns". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ Kleinberg, Eliot (February 12, 2018). "Is assistant state attorney last living descendant of Abraham Lincoln?". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved December 15, 2018.