William Wallace "Willie" Lincoln (December 21 1850 – February 20 1862) was the third son of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln.
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Early life
William Wallace Lincoln was born about ten months after his brother Eddie died on February 1, 1850.[1] He was named after Dr. William Wallace, an in-law and physician who nursed Eddie Lincoln in his final days. Abraham Lincoln was frequently arguing cases on the Illinois Judicial Circuit when his oldest son Robert was growing up. The work kept Lincoln away from home, and he never developed a close bond with Robert. By the 1850s, the development of railroads allowed him to stay in Springfield on weekends, and he grew very close to Willie and his younger brother, Tad. Both parents were fiercely proud of their children: William Herndon, Lincoln's law partner, said they would take any chance to "get them to monkey around — talk — dance — speak — quote poetry, etc." Their father would take the boys on wagon rides through Springfield and help with the babysitting, an unusual practice for men at the time.[2] Abraham Lincoln was especially fond of Willie, who he felt had a mind like his own, and those who knew the boy considered him intelligent, generous, and kind-hearted.[3] The two did have a mischievous streak: When Lincoln brought them to the office, he would allow them to roam freely, and the children would turn over furniture and papers, to Herndon's consternation. During Lincoln's train ride to Washington in February of 1861, Willie and Tad would ask visitors, "Do you want to see Old Abe?" and point to someone else.[4] The public was not used to having children in the White House, and showered the boys with presents; Willie received a pony, to which he was devoted, and both boys loved to imitate the soldiers posted on the south lawn. When he could break away from the pressures of the office, Lincoln would often play with his children; a visitor once found Willie and Tad (and two of their friends) pinning the President of the United States to the floor.[5]
Death
In February, 1862, both boys became ill with typhoid fever, possibly from drinking polluted water in the White House. While Tad recovered, Willie gradually declined, and died on February 20, 1862 at age 11. His death devastated his parents. Mary Lincoln could not bring herself to attend his funeral and remained bedridden for three weeks; she would not emerge in public for months afterwards. Abraham Lincoln, who had stayed at Willie's side through his illness, would shut himself in his room after his son's funeral to weep, and often had dreams of spending time with his son.[6] He never fully recovered from the loss. Lincoln was so distraught over his young son Willie dying, he had Willie's coffin exhumed twice so he could look at and hold him again. [7] On the day of his assassination, Lincoln told his wife that they must be more cheerful, as "between the war and the loss of our darling Willie, we have both been very miserable."[8]
Funeral
Willie was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown. After President Lincoln's murder, Willie's casket was exhumed and he was moved to a temporary tomb. He was reinterred at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, on September 19, 1871 alongside the remains of his father and his brother, Eddie.
