10/19/2020

University of North Carolina law professor Gerhardt (The Forgotten Presidents) profiles the politicians and lawyers who influenced Abraham Lincoln in this well-researched yet unfocused history. Contending that Lincoln “was not born to greatness but earned his way, his map drawn by the men, books, plays, and poetry that he took inspiration and instruction from,” Gerhardt identifies five key mentors: President Andrew Jackson, Whig Party leader Henry Clay, President Zachary Taylor, and Illinois lawyers and politicians John Todd Stuart (cousin of Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Stuart) and Orville Browning. Jackson, Clay, and Taylor were strong supporters of the Union and men “always planning their next move,” Gerhardt writes, while Stuart and Browning encouraged Lincoln to study law and helped to launch his political career. Gerhardt also finds similarities between Lincoln’s rhetorical style and those of Jackson and Clay, and contends that “Lincoln’s awed recognition of Clay’s fortitude would help him again and again and again.” Close looks at Whig politics and legislative battles over slavery and secession provide genuine insights, but the selection of mentors seems somewhat arbitrary and the personal dynamics between them and Lincoln are undeveloped. The result is a solid history in search of a more coherent theme. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Feb.)

Abraham Lincoln had less schooling than all but a couple of other presidents, and more wisdom than every one of them. In this original, insightful book, Michael Gerhardt explains how this came to be. ... Gerhardt’s emphasis on Lincoln’s education casts his presidency in a distinctive light. This is no small accomplishment." — H.W. Brands, Wall Street Journal

“Abraham Lincoln had less schooling than all but a couple of other presidents, and more wisdom than every one of them. In this original, insightful book, Michael Gerhardt explains how this came to be. He focuses on five men he calls Lincoln’s mentors, but the book is really an account of how Lincoln educated himself. Crucially, it does not stop at the inauguration; more than any other president, Lincoln grew in office. Until the very end of his life, his self-education never ceased. ... Gerhardt’s emphasis on Lincoln’s education casts his presidency in a distinctive light. This is no small accomplishment given all that has been written about Lincoln. Mr. Gerhardt stresses that Lincoln was 'educable,' a quality never more necessary in an occupant of the White House than during the Civil War.” — H.W. Brands, Wall Street Journal

“Lincoln’s Mentors has a vital lesson for anyone who's trying to succeed, or trying to help others succeed. The book's big idea is that Lincoln, for all his gifts, was intentional about seeking out mentors who could help him master oratory, speechwriting, party politics, campaigning, conventions, executive power, managing a cabinet.” — Mike Allen, Axios

“Michael J. Gerhardt has devised an ingenious solution for demystifying America’s most enigmatic president: examining the key people who influenced Lincoln as he developed his own unique skills and leadership style. These pages trace how a poor backwoods farm boy rose to become among the most eloquent defenders of America’s highest ideals, as well as a steely and tenacious source of unity when the nation needed it most. Gerhardt shows that Lincoln’s genius was in borrowing selectively from the examples of his mentors—both the famous and the obscure—to become an unsurpassed original.” — Russell L. Riley, Co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center

“Understanding the ideas that shaped Lincoln’s mind helps us understand the ideas that shaped the American mind. In this illuminating book, Michael Gerhardt brings Lincoln’s intellectual and political mentors to life, offering vivid and unexpected insights about Lincoln and the teachers who inspired him.” — Jeffrey Rosen, President & CEO, National Constitution Center

"A worthy addition to the Lincoln bibliotheca. ... Professor Gerhardt is a splendid writer of non-fiction. His storyline is clear and resonant. The author is fluent in Lincoln history and political philosophy, but he stays close to his aspiration for the book —not to cover every event, but to demonstrate how an untutored Western small town lawyer could make himself into the most eloquent and influential president the country has ever had." — New York Journal of Books

"Gerhardt's Lincoln's Mentors is a remarkably probing examination of what Lincoln read, how he learned and how he was constantly reaching out for friends, mentors and role models. His is an especially valuable analysis of how both Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson influenced the Lincoln presidency. This superb treatment of Lincoln as a political thinker and operative ranks right up there with the prize-winning biographies of  David Donald and James MacPherson." — Thomas E. Cronin, President Emeritus—Whitman College, co-author of The Paradoxes of the American Presidency and  Leadership Matters

"A worthy addition to the Lincoln bibliotheca. ... Professor Gerhardt is a splendid writer of non-fiction. His storyline is clear and resonant. The author is fluent in Lincoln history and political philosophy, but he stays close to his aspiration for the book —not to cover every event, but to demonstrate how an untutored Western small town lawyer could make himself into the most eloquent and influential president the country has ever had."

Understanding the ideas that shaped Lincoln’s mind helps us understand the ideas that shaped the American mind. In this illuminating book, Michael Gerhardt brings Lincoln’s intellectual and political mentors to life, offering vivid and unexpected insights about Lincoln and the teachers who inspired him.

Abraham Lincoln had less schooling than all but a couple of other presidents, and more wisdom than every one of them. In this original, insightful book, Michael Gerhardt explains how this came to be. ... Gerhardt’s emphasis on Lincoln’s education casts his presidency in a distinctive light. This is no small accomplishment."

Lincoln’s Mentors has a vital lesson for anyone who's trying to succeed, or trying to help others succeed. The book's big idea is that Lincoln, for all his gifts, was intentional about seeking out mentors who could help him master oratory, speechwriting, party politics, campaigning, conventions, executive power, managing a cabinet.

"Gerhardt's Lincoln's Mentors is a remarkably probing examination of what Lincoln read, how he learned and how he was constantly reaching out for friends, mentors and role models. His is an especially valuable analysis of how both Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson influenced the Lincoln presidency. This superb treatment of Lincoln as a political thinker and operative ranks right up there with the prize-winning biographies of  David Donald and James MacPherson."

Michael J. Gerhardt has devised an ingenious solution for demystifying America’s most enigmatic president: examining the key people who influenced Lincoln as he developed his own unique skills and leadership style. These pages trace how a poor backwoods farm boy rose to become among the most eloquent defenders of America’s highest ideals, as well as a steely and tenacious source of unity when the nation needed it most. Gerhardt shows that Lincoln’s genius was in borrowing selectively from the examples of his mentors—both the famous and the obscure—to become an unsurpassed original.

2020-10-27
A life of Lincoln emphasizing the men responsible for his political education.

Even though he was barely schooled and largely self-taught, Lincoln lived in an era when this was no barrier to business success or many professions, including the law. Politics was another matter, writes Gerhardt, a professor of jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina, in this tightly focused portrait. Few aspiring politicians succeeded without outside help. “Lincoln’s ambition to make an enduring mark on the world,” writes the author, “led him to five men, whose experiences, political insights, vision of the Constitution, and guidance helped him navigate the path to the presidency.” Like most successful statesmen, he began by impressing fellow citizens, attracting the attention of local powers who showed him the ropes. The author emphasizes two primary characters. John Todd Stuart (cousin of Lincoln’s future wife, Mary Todd) was a prominent Whig lawyer and member of the Illinois legislature. Orville Browning, another contemporary legislator, remained a close friend and adviser until the end of Lincoln’s presidency. It’s unlikely that Lincoln met the remaining three men, who were less mentors than national leaders. A dedicated Whig until the party’s collapse in the 1850s, Lincoln fervently admired its driving force, Henry Clay. He shared Clay’s abhorrence of Andrew Jackson but adopted Jackson’s extremist tactics during the Civil War, when he suspended habeas corpus and defied the Supreme Court. Perhaps most surprising of the five is Gen. Zachary Taylor, a slaveholder who was a fierce opponent of secession and the spread of slavery into the territories. Always a pragmatist, Lincoln concluded that the aging Clay could not win the 1848 presidential election and switched his support to Taylor, who was elected but died only 16 months into his term. Intensely gregarious and an obsessive reader, Lincoln soaked up ideas relentlessly, but Gerhardt makes solid cases for his choices as major influences.

A satisfying general biography that concentrates on Lincoln’s political career.