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Robert Todd Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial Dedication, 1922

On May 30, 1922, Robert Todd Lincoln, 78 and the last surviving Lincoln son, attended the dedication of his father’s memorial on the Mall.

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William Howard Taft, Warren Harding and Robert Lincoln. Source: National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress.

File this one away in the historic candids section. On May 30th, 1922 and at the advanced age of 78, Robert Todd Lincoln is seen arriving at the dedication of the memorial to his father Abraham Lincoln.

While any son would be overshadowed by the accomplishments of a father like President Lincoln, Robert was far from lacking accomplishment. He was the U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom between 1889 and 1893, the Secretary of War under Presidents James Garfield and Chester A. Arthur, as well as the president and later chairman of the Pullman Company.

William Howard Taft, Warren Harding, Robert Todd Lincoln
Robert Lincoln attends dedication of Lincoln Memorial (1922)
Robert Lincoln attends dedication of Lincoln Memorial (1922)

This was the last public appearance he made as Robert was living out his final years in his home at 3014 N St. NW (coincidentally, also the former home of The Washington Post’s Ben Bradlee).

And below is a photo of the home in Georgetown.

Laird-Dunlop-Lincoln House, 3014 N Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC
Former home of Robert Todd Lincoln at 3014 N St. NW in Georgetown

Here is a younger Robert Todd Lincoln in 1865, at the age of 22. The photo was taken the same year his father was assassinated in Ford’s Theatre.

Robert T. Lincoln (1865)

For the story of how the memorial got built, the seven-year construction, the secret basement, and the dedication day Robert Todd was on the platform for, see our history of the Lincoln Memorial.

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Filed underHistorical EventsNotable People & PlacesThe Best Of

Topics1920s · Abraham Lincoln · Lincoln Memorial

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