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Loving Lincoln: A Personal History of the Women Who Shaped Lincoln's Life and Legacy
Rediscovering Lincoln through the female gaze
Abraham Lincoln belongs to everybody. The women he interacted with helped forge the outstanding moral character of America's greatest president. This unique Abraham Lincoln biography features thirty historical and personal essays, and within them, the stories of more than ninety women, each with their own mini biographies in an appendix. Among them are Lincoln’s friends, clients, and extended family, as well as writers, artists, and—blurring the lines between history and memoir—author Stacy Lynn herself.
As a professional Lincoln scholar and editor, Lynn was often frustrated that male historians often overlooked Lincoln’s love for and friendship with women. Here, she posits a new paradigm—one that, instead of downplaying women, lifts up their interactions with Lincoln.
Lincoln understood the importance of the women in his life, and he put women’s wellbeing at the center of his personal, professional, and political ethos. He was loved by two strong pioneer mothers as well as sisters, friends, nieces, friends’ daughters, and his wife. He served women clients during his long legal career. As president, he met with women, dedicating time to hear their concerns despite the burdens of office. He replied to letters women wrote him. He believed in their capabilities and revolutionized the role of women in the workforce. After Lincoln’s death, women continued to shape his legacy. Mary Lincoln ensured his burial among friends, artist Vinnie Ream sculpted his statue in the US Capitol, and biographer Ida Tarbell provided a nuanced portrayal of his life. Harriet Monroe and Ruth Painter Randall further cemented his place in literature and history.
Lynn presents a fresh perspective on Lincoln, connecting his story to the stories of women and showcasing his kindness, sensitivity, and moral center. She explores how women shaped Lincoln’s inspirational legacy and pays homage to all the women who gave Lincoln to the world. Lynn’s unique blending of history, biography, and her own story reveals the ways in which an emotional connection to the historical figures one studies opens the door to richer human and historical understanding. By inviting readers to feel the past as well as read it, Lynn demonstrates that history matters most when it engages our minds and hearts.
Abraham Lincoln belongs to everybody. The women he interacted with helped forge the outstanding moral character of America's greatest president. This unique Abraham Lincoln biography features thirty historical and personal essays, and within them, the stories of more than ninety women, each with their own mini biographies in an appendix. Among them are Lincoln’s friends, clients, and extended family, as well as writers, artists, and—blurring the lines between history and memoir—author Stacy Lynn herself.
As a professional Lincoln scholar and editor, Lynn was often frustrated that male historians often overlooked Lincoln’s love for and friendship with women. Here, she posits a new paradigm—one that, instead of downplaying women, lifts up their interactions with Lincoln.
Lincoln understood the importance of the women in his life, and he put women’s wellbeing at the center of his personal, professional, and political ethos. He was loved by two strong pioneer mothers as well as sisters, friends, nieces, friends’ daughters, and his wife. He served women clients during his long legal career. As president, he met with women, dedicating time to hear their concerns despite the burdens of office. He replied to letters women wrote him. He believed in their capabilities and revolutionized the role of women in the workforce. After Lincoln’s death, women continued to shape his legacy. Mary Lincoln ensured his burial among friends, artist Vinnie Ream sculpted his statue in the US Capitol, and biographer Ida Tarbell provided a nuanced portrayal of his life. Harriet Monroe and Ruth Painter Randall further cemented his place in literature and history.
Lynn presents a fresh perspective on Lincoln, connecting his story to the stories of women and showcasing his kindness, sensitivity, and moral center. She explores how women shaped Lincoln’s inspirational legacy and pays homage to all the women who gave Lincoln to the world. Lynn’s unique blending of history, biography, and her own story reveals the ways in which an emotional connection to the historical figures one studies opens the door to richer human and historical understanding. By inviting readers to feel the past as well as read it, Lynn demonstrates that history matters most when it engages our minds and hearts.
310 pages, Paperback
Published June 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 8, 2025
Loving Lincoln brings a refreshing account of the life of Abraham Lincoln, the women around him, and the very personal connections of the author. Part biography, part memoir, Stacy Lynn has demonstrated both her impeccable research and her keen ability to blend the modern with the history, the fact with the feeling, and the man with the women who influenced him.
The author’s writing is fluid, breezy, and even sometimes beautiful as she emphasizes how Lincoln’s life was shaped by women, an impact largely ignored by other biographers in this male dominated field. Infused with her own perspective as a scholar, as well as her personal bond as a mother who has known the kind of grief Mary experienced repeatedly in her life. As such, the book gives us a deeper understanding of Mary, of Lincoln, of the times, and of the author, all of which create a fuller picture. There are plenty of books about Lincoln coming out every year, but none like this wonderfully refreshing volume. A pleasure to read.
David J. Kent
Author, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius
Past-President, Lincoln Group of DC
The author’s writing is fluid, breezy, and even sometimes beautiful as she emphasizes how Lincoln’s life was shaped by women, an impact largely ignored by other biographers in this male dominated field. Infused with her own perspective as a scholar, as well as her personal bond as a mother who has known the kind of grief Mary experienced repeatedly in her life. As such, the book gives us a deeper understanding of Mary, of Lincoln, of the times, and of the author, all of which create a fuller picture. There are plenty of books about Lincoln coming out every year, but none like this wonderfully refreshing volume. A pleasure to read.
David J. Kent
Author, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius
Past-President, Lincoln Group of DC
January 7, 2026
Well-written and emotional stories of Lincoln and the women with whom he was connected in his life. What caught me were the many older biographies featured here by women scholars such as Ruth Painter Randall and Ida Tarbell. I will use this book with my graduate students in Digital and Public History because of Dr. Lynn's deep background in this field.
Each chapter is a separate reading focusing on the women Lincoln interacted with.
Each chapter is a separate reading focusing on the women Lincoln interacted with.
December 26, 2025
In addition to the “Great Emancipator” and “Honest Abe”, Stacy Lynn gives Lincoln a new title, “The Women’s President.”
Loving Lincoln by Stacy Lynn was one of the most refreshing books I’ve read in a while, and I absolutely loved it! It made me appreciate Lincoln a whole lot more. Because Lincoln is so often praised for his incredible work to save our country and emancipate enslaved people, his devotion to women is, sadly, not as well-known or talked about.
Lynn puts a spotlight on this understudied aspect of Lincoln’s life in a very accessible, readable way. She made every page incredibly heartwarming to read. She tells of the female relationships Lincoln formed as a young man, his gentleness which attracted them to him, and that he was one of the few lawyers to actively take up divorce cases on the side of the woman in an era when that was extremely uncommon (which he often won!). Plus, Lincoln also may have helped a woman escape into Tennessee to avoid punishment for defending herself against her abusive husband.
Another part of the book I really loved was her exploration and descriptions of the Lincoln marriage. She does not excuse or ignore the issues in the marriage, but is very against the cartoonish demonization of Mary Lincoln so common in many Lincoln circles. As a Mary Lincoln fan myself, it was great to see Lynn accurately show the genuine affection, admiration, and love the Lincolns had for each other.
I was really surprised to learn the sheer extent of Lincoln’s care for women during his presidency. This fact was barely, if at all, touched on in other Lincoln bios I’ve read. Lincoln took time to meet with them, listen to them, advanced their careers to an unprecedented degree. In an era when women had little voice or influence, especially independant of their husbands, this was extremely progressive. “Lincoln hired more women…than any previous president” (pg 150). There’s so much more I could mention, but I’d recommend buying the book and reading everything for yourself.
My only slight disagreement is with her interpretation of the Lincoln suffrage comment (“by no means excluding females”). I always thought that was more of a joke than an actual statement for women’s suffrage, which Lynn argues it was. Still, anything is possible! Lincoln was very aware of the double standard women faced, which is impressive on its own given the era he was born into. Then again, he also once made a public comment making fun of the “free love” movement.
It’s a great read alongside We Are the Lincoln Men by David H. Donald, which explores Lincoln’s male relationships. I’m so grateful the author wrote this book and I hope she writes more on this subject!
Highly recommend for any Lincoln fan!
Loving Lincoln by Stacy Lynn was one of the most refreshing books I’ve read in a while, and I absolutely loved it! It made me appreciate Lincoln a whole lot more. Because Lincoln is so often praised for his incredible work to save our country and emancipate enslaved people, his devotion to women is, sadly, not as well-known or talked about.
Lynn puts a spotlight on this understudied aspect of Lincoln’s life in a very accessible, readable way. She made every page incredibly heartwarming to read. She tells of the female relationships Lincoln formed as a young man, his gentleness which attracted them to him, and that he was one of the few lawyers to actively take up divorce cases on the side of the woman in an era when that was extremely uncommon (which he often won!). Plus, Lincoln also may have helped a woman escape into Tennessee to avoid punishment for defending herself against her abusive husband.
Another part of the book I really loved was her exploration and descriptions of the Lincoln marriage. She does not excuse or ignore the issues in the marriage, but is very against the cartoonish demonization of Mary Lincoln so common in many Lincoln circles. As a Mary Lincoln fan myself, it was great to see Lynn accurately show the genuine affection, admiration, and love the Lincolns had for each other.
I was really surprised to learn the sheer extent of Lincoln’s care for women during his presidency. This fact was barely, if at all, touched on in other Lincoln bios I’ve read. Lincoln took time to meet with them, listen to them, advanced their careers to an unprecedented degree. In an era when women had little voice or influence, especially independant of their husbands, this was extremely progressive. “Lincoln hired more women…than any previous president” (pg 150). There’s so much more I could mention, but I’d recommend buying the book and reading everything for yourself.
My only slight disagreement is with her interpretation of the Lincoln suffrage comment (“by no means excluding females”). I always thought that was more of a joke than an actual statement for women’s suffrage, which Lynn argues it was. Still, anything is possible! Lincoln was very aware of the double standard women faced, which is impressive on its own given the era he was born into. Then again, he also once made a public comment making fun of the “free love” movement.
It’s a great read alongside We Are the Lincoln Men by David H. Donald, which explores Lincoln’s male relationships. I’m so grateful the author wrote this book and I hope she writes more on this subject!
Highly recommend for any Lincoln fan!
May 24, 2025
Loving Lincoln, by Stacy Lynn, is everything I love in a book. History, humanity, excellent characters, and compassionate intelligence. Stacy Lynn is everything I love in a writer--smart, feminist, curious, willing to look at history from a variety of angles, and unafraid to bare her own soul, grief, and passion in the service of her art.
No one has done what Lynn has done in this wonderful book. She takes a look at Lincoln's life through the prism of the women he loved and interacted with--studies the way Lincoln's relationships with women informed his life and the man he became. AT the same time, we are introduced to the world of Lincoln studies and the personal history of Lynn as a Lincoln scholar, a grieving mother, and a woman searching for truth.
Go out and get this book today!
No one has done what Lynn has done in this wonderful book. She takes a look at Lincoln's life through the prism of the women he loved and interacted with--studies the way Lincoln's relationships with women informed his life and the man he became. AT the same time, we are introduced to the world of Lincoln studies and the personal history of Lynn as a Lincoln scholar, a grieving mother, and a woman searching for truth.
Go out and get this book today!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews