author
Ward Hill Lamon
1828–1893
A close friend of Abraham Lincoln, he moved from the law into public life and became known as Lincoln’s devoted, sometimes controversial protector. His unusual path from frontier lawyer to U.S. marshal gave him a firsthand place in one of the most dramatic eras in American history.
2 Audiobooks
The Life of Abraham Lincoln, from His Birth to His Inauguration as President
by Ward Hill Lamon
Recollections of Abraham Lincoln, 1847-1865
by Ward Hill Lamon
About the author
Born in Virginia in 1828 and raised in what is now West Virginia, Ward Hill Lamon later moved to Danville, Illinois, where he studied law and built his career. There he became part of Abraham Lincoln’s circle, riding the Eighth Judicial Circuit and forming a friendship that would shape the rest of his life.
Lamon is best remembered as a loyal companion to Lincoln. He accompanied the president-elect on the trip to Washington in 1861, served as U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia, and was widely known as Lincoln’s self-appointed bodyguard. His rough humor and informal style made him a vivid figure around the White House, even if not everyone admired his methods.
After Lincoln’s death, Lamon remained closely tied to the story of the fallen president. He wrote and helped publish books about Lincoln, drawing on his own memories and experiences, and his accounts became part of the long, often debated effort to understand Lincoln as both a public leader and a private man. He died in 1893.