Abraham Lincoln and the Speed Family
Beginning in 1837, Abraham Lincoln had a strong connection with Louisville's Speed family. When he moved to Springfield, Illinois, that year, Lincoln roomed with Joshua Fry Speed, who became his closest friend. In 1841, during a rough period in his relationship with Mary Todd, Lincoln visited Speed at Farmington, the Speed family home outside of Louisville. Shortly before his visit, he had broken his engagement with Todd, although they later married, and had subsequently suffered from severe melancholy. His time in Louisville helped him get through his dark time. Lincoln's month-long stay with the Speeds was his first extended visit to Kentucky since his family moved to Indiana twenty-five years earlier. Lincoln's time in Kentucky, both as a child and his visit in 1841, contributed to his later antislavery beliefs. During his time at Farmington, he had opportunity to view slavery in practice, and in a famous letter to Speed's sister, he described having seen a dozen slaves being shipped South to market. In 1855, Lincoln wrote to Joshua, stating that the image of those slaves had been "a continual torment." Lincoln's friendship with Speed extended beyond their time in Springfield, and the two men remained close friends after Speed moved back to Kentucky.
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Farmington, the Speed Family estate. |
In addition to the support he provided Lincoln during difficult personal times, Speed also helped his friend politically. In 1861, following his inauguration as President of the United States, Lincoln relied on his contact with the Speed family to keep him abreast of the political situation in Kentucky. Lincoln realized the tenuous loyalty of Kentucky and made sure to please the Unionists in the state. Speed and his Unionist allies helped Lincoln steer a political course that prevented Kentucky from seceding with most of the rest of the slave South. Additionally, in May 1861, Speed played a major role in the covert operation to arm Unionist militia regiments with "Lincoln guns." For the duration of the war, Speed frequently corresponded with Lincoln and advised him of the political situation in Kentucky.
Lincoln's connection to the Speed family extended to Joshua's older brother, James. In December 1864, near the end of his first administration, Lincoln appointed James as United States Attorney General. In addition to his official duties, Speed served an additional purpose as a representative of the Border States. Throughout the war, Lincoln was concerned about maintaining contentment in the Border States, and Speed's appointment was widely praised in Kentucky, where Lincoln had few political allies. Speed became one of Lincoln's closest friends in the administration, and he was present when Lincoln died on April 15, 1865.
