The letter shown here is part of an online exhibit, “The 100 Most Valuable Documents at the Illinois State Archives.” Robert Todd Lincoln, only surviving son of President Abraham Lincoln, wrote it to Gov. Richard Yates Jr. in June 1901, while the state of Illinois was in the process of restoring the tomb of President Lincoln at Oak Ridge Cemetery.
A group of grave robbers had tried to steal the president’s body in 1876, and Robert wanted to ensure that the restored tomb would forever protect his father’s body from any further attempts. Coincidentally, Robert had dealt with a similar effort before. The online exhibit explains:
Thus, following Robert’s wishes, Abraham Lincoln’s body was placed below the sarcophagus and interred in a massive amount of concrete and steel. Robert Lincoln, who was president of the Pullman Palace Car Company at the time, notes that he had consulted with Chicago architect S. S. Beman who had experience on interring a coffin in concrete so it could not be stolen. What Robert was delicately referring to was the interment of his late boss, George Pullman, whose anti-union actions in owning the Pullman Company so infuriated the labor movement that his family feared that his body would be stolen after his death in 1897.
The “Col. Culver” mentioned in the letter was James S. Culver, whose construction company handled the 1901 tomb restoration.
The Archives website linked above provides fuller background on Robert’s letter, which is No. 59 (chronologically) among the 100 Most Valuable Documents.
Read more about the 1901 reburial of the remains of Abraham Lincoln here.
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