Joseph Henry (1797–1878) Physicist who was an early investigator of electromagnetism, he became secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. In that role, although opposing the Civil War privately, he became a reluctant adviser to President Abraham Lincoln on… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Lawrence A. Gobright (1816-1881) Washington correspondent for the Associated Press for 30 years who covered President Lincoln during the Civil War and reported Lincoln’s assassination. By the Civil War, Gobright was a newspaper veteran and the most experienced journalist in… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886) Congressman Adams was critical of Lincoln’s unwillingness to assist his compromise efforts and was doubtful of his capacity to handle the presidency: “It was clear, at least to me, that our chances of safety would rest upon an executive council composed of…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Eliza Paul Kirkbride Gurney (1801-1881) Eliza P. Gurney visited the White House on October 26 1862 – in the company of three other Quakers – John M. Whithall, Hannah B. Mott, and James Carey. There was a driving rain outside the Executive Mansion, but the reception in the White House was… Abraham Lincoln’s White House […]

Jessie Benton Frémont (1824-1902) Jessie Benton Frémont was the wife of Major General John C. Frémont and the daughter of former Senator Thomas Hart Benton. She received a practical education in politics as well as a first-rate schooling for a young woman of her… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Robert A. Schenck (1809-1890) Robert A. Schenck, who had served in Congress with Mr. Lincoln in the 1840s and as a diplomat prior to the Civil War, was advanced in the pre-inauguration period as a possible representative of… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Mary A. Livermore (1820-1905) A prominent activist in the U.S. Sanitary Commission, Mary A. Livermore helped as a nurse and fundraiser. She was the wife of the editor of the Chicago-based New Covenant, a Universalist publication where she also worked as an… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Kate Chase Sprague (1840-1899) Daughter of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, Kate Chase Sprague married Rhode Island Senator William Sprague during the Civil War. She was beautiful, charming, precocious, a leading social figure in… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Jane Grey Swisshelm (1815-1884) Jane Grey Swisshelm was a journalist, abolitionist, temperance advocate and feminist. During the early part of the Civil War, she was based in Minnesota with her family. She came to Washington to urge a harsh response to… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Nettie Colburn (1841-1892) Mrs. Lincoln first encountered Colburn at the home of Cranstoun Laurie, a top official in the Post Office. As Nettie Coburn later recalled her meeting, she went with Laurie to his home after failing in attempts to obtain an… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >