Identifier: lincolnlawy1762hillin (find matches)
Title: Lincoln, the lawyer
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Hill, Frederick Trevor, 1866-1930
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Lawyers Presidents
Publisher: New York : Century Co.
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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In March, 1849, Lincolns official termexpired, and then for the first and only time inhis life he became an applicant for office. Thepost he desired was the commissionership of theGeneral Land Office in Illinois, but Justin But- 157 LINCOLN THE LAWYER terfield, a fellow-member of the bar from Chi-cago was appointed, and Lincoln was afterwardoffered, and fortunately declined, the gover-norship of Oregon, returning to Spring-field and the practice of the law, num-bering among the clients whom he hadacquired in Washington no less a personthan Daniel Webster,1 a somewhat authoritativerecognition of Lincoln as a lawyer. 1 Mr. Ben: Perley Poore is authority for the statement thatWebster insisted that Lincoln charged him too little for hisservices, and that he always felt himself in his counsels debt. Thematter on which he had retained him involved clearing the titleto certain real estate in an embryo city (probably Rock IslandCity) laid out where Rock River empties into the Mississippi. 158
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XVI LIFE ON THE ILLINOIS CIRCUIT IT has been repeatedly asserted that Lin-colns legal reputation was entirely local,and that he was unknown as a lawyerbeyond his immediate neighborhood; yetit is a fact that he had no sooner an-nounced his intention to resume practicethan he was offered a partnership by Mr.Grant Goodrich, one of the prominent attorneysof Chicago, with a wide and lucrative clientage.Lincoln had an idea, however, that he was threat-ened with consumption, and fearing that citywork would undermine his health, he declinedthe proposal and returned to his old office inSpringfield. There is no evidence, except his own, thatHerndon maintained anything more than a nom-inal practice after he was left to his own devices;but nevertheless Lincoln offered to continue the 161 LINCOLN THE LAWYER partnership with him on the same generous termswhich had governed their original alliance, andin the spring of 1849 the firm of Lincoln &Herndon again started in business, with head-quarter

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