Jesse William Weik

Born in Greencastle, Indiana, in 1857, Jesse William Weik studied at Indiana Asbury University, now DePauw University, where he earned his A.B. degree in 1875 and later an A.M. degree. He went on to work in the U.S. Pension Bureau office in Springfield, Illinois, a job that brought him into contact with people and places closely tied to Abraham Lincoln.

Weik became a close collaborator of William H. Herndon, Lincoln’s former law partner. Together they produced Herndon’s Life of Lincoln in 1889, a book widely described as an early authoritative Lincoln biography, and later editions appeared under related titles. Scholars have noted that Weik wrote much of the manuscript while drawing on Herndon’s memories, letters, and interviews.

Along with his Lincoln work, Weik remained active as a historian and writer with strong ties to Indiana. He also wrote History of the Republican Party and left behind papers that are preserved at DePauw University, reflecting a career devoted to gathering and recording historical detail with unusual care.