Trials of Intimacy: Love and Loss in the Beecher-Tilton Scandal

by Richard Wightman Fox

The nation's leading minister stands accused of adultery. He vehemently denies the charge but confesses to being on "the ragged edge of despair." His alleged lover is a woman of mystical faith, nearly "Catholic" in her piety. Her husband, a famous writer, sues the minister for damages. A six-month trial ends inconclusively, but it holds the nation in thrall. It produces gripping drama, scathing cartoons, and soul-searching editorials. Trials of Intimacy is the story of a scandal that shook American culture to the core in the 1870s because the key players were such vaunted moral leaders. In that respect there has never been another case like it—except The Scarlet Letter , to which it was constantly compared.

Henry Ward Beecher was pastor of Brooklyn's Plymouth Church and for many the "representative man" of mid-nineteenth century America. Elizabeth Tilton was the wife of Beecher's longtime intimate friend Theodore. His accusation of "criminal conversation" between Henry and Elizabeth confronted the American public with entirely new dilemmas about religion and intimacy, privacy and publicity, reputation and celebrity. The scandal spotlighted a series of comic and tragic loves and betrayals among these three figures, with a supporting cast that included Victoria Woodhull, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

To readers at the time, the Beecher-Tilton Scandal was an irresistible mystery. Richard Fox puts his readers into that same reverberating story, while offering it as a timeless tale of love, deception, faith, and the confounding indeterminacy of truth. Trials of Intimacy revises our conception of nineteenth-century morals and passions. And it is an American history richly resonant with present-day dramas.

Genres: History

426 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 1999

About the author

Richard Wightman Fox is a professor of history at the University of Southern California and the author of Jesus in America and Trials of Intimacy, among other books. He lives in Venice, California.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the Beecher-Tilton scandal. While Fox's choice to tell the story in reverse chronological order didn't really work for me, his analysis of the dynamics of the scandal is necessary reading if you study the history of 19th century popular culture, religion, and politics.

[Meagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this could have been very interesting but the author kept regurgitating the same material over and over again in each chapter without much that was new being added on.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review at Reading World.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weirdly fascinating dissection of one of the great scandals of the (American) Victorian age. Delves into the lives, loves and romantic friendships of the Rev. Beecher (Harriet Beecher Stowe's brother) and the Tilton family, his mentees, friends, collaborators and possibly, lovers. It's a bit slow in spots but is definitely worth getting through, especially if you want a deep dive into the lives of the abolishionists and suffragists who made up Brooklyn religious high society in the late 1800s. Amongst the odd tidbits learned: my old elementary school was on a street named after one of the various allies who was dragged into the court case. If you're an American history buff, this is a can't miss.

[Nicole]

This book was fabulous! Fox does a terrific job grappling with the abundance of primary sources related to the Beecher-Tilton relationship and stressing what we can and cannot know for sure after reading them. The organization of the book is also very interesting, moving backward and then forward chronologically. The book would be terrific in a historiography class to talk about sources, structure, and voice.

re-read October 2011 for HST 301