Courting Mr. Lincoln

Courting Mr. Lincoln (2019) is a work of historical fiction which imagines Abraham Lincoln’s life in the 1840s, before he became famous, as told in alternating perspectives of his best friend, Joshua Speed, and the woman who would eventually become his wife, Mary Todd. Author Louis Bayard is known for novels in which he portrays notable figures from history as they might have been received in their own time, before their fame: as human beings, flawed and authentic, their talent presaging their future success but not yet fully realized. This title received widespread acclaim for the way it presented Lincoln’s humanity in rich, nuanced, detail; it also provides a frank examination of the close relationships Lincoln had with certain men in his life.

The novel opens from Mary’s perspective. She has come from Kentucky to Springfield in order to find a suitable husband. Springfield is newly made the capital of Illinois but is still an up-and-coming town, rough around the edges. Mary is lively, charming, and pretty, which makes her popular at parties and dinners, but her real passion is for politics and several would-be suitors are surprised, somewhat unpleasantly, by her intelligence and wit. She meets Joshua and he introduces her to his best friend, Lincoln. Mary is initially put off by Lincoln’s lack of charm and refinement but soon finds herself drawn to his intelligence and his thoughtful manner.

Lincoln had arrived in Springfield in 1837, three years before Mary. The young lawyer was like the town of Springfield: rough and clumsy, but full of potential. He was also burdened by debt which is how he came to accept Joshua’s offer to share his room and bed, as he could not afford a space of his own.



Joshua is a son of a wealthy plantation-owning, slave-holding family who has fled their expectations and buried himself in Springfield to take on the management of a cousin’s store. It’s an unsuitable job for a man of his background but he prefers it to going back to Louisville, Kentucky. Joshua and Lincoln are opposites in many ways: Joshua is talkative and charming; Lincoln is terse and uncomfortable in social gatherings, but they develop a deep friendship and are soon inseparable. They make a habit of taking long walks together in the evening and Joshua provides an invaluable service, teaching Lincoln the social skills he needs to navigate society.

In his lifetime, Lincoln had extremely close relationships with several men, which has led some biographers and historians to question his sexuality. Bayard strongly suggests there was some degree of intimacy between Lincoln and Joshua, describing how the two men slept on their sides, together, as Lincoln was too tall to lie flat in the bed and the bed too narrow for only one of them to sleep with his knees pulled up. He also introduces a character who tells Joshua he had a very similar relationship with Lincoln years before: they shared the same bed, Lincoln gave Joshua the exact same gold watch the man had with him.

The heart of the novel is about the relationship between Joshua and Lincoln, how fulfilling they find it, and how it must end. Lincoln’s rising political fortunes mean he must do what “other men” do: take a wife and have a family. Mary is the obvious choice and he courts her but only half-heartedly in a romantic way. As much as he wants to, Lincoln cannot have Mary Todd and Joshua Speed both: he must choose between them. Lincoln is tormented by the decision. He proposes to Mary, then, as Joshua prepares to return to his family home, Lincoln calls off the wedding. He becomes deathly ill and Joshua nurses him back to health. Joshua realizes he must leave Lincoln in order for Lincoln to be able to fulfill his political destiny, but he is heartbroken to think it will be Mary who carries him forward.



The two men resist their separation but eventually capitulate and agree they both must marry. Joshua goes to Louisville and Lincoln remains in Springfield. Though he called off their engagement, Lincoln and Mary remain friends, and after he takes the blame for a satirical article she publishes, he narrowly avoids a duel and they decide to marry. The novel skips ahead to their wedding night and implies they spend it chastely.

The narrative then skips forward again, 20 years this time. Lincoln has been elected president but not yet sworn in. Joshua and his wife come to Washington to see Lincoln, Mary, and their family. The men retreat to the bedroom where Lincoln offers Joshua a cabinet post; Joshua refuses it, as they both realize they cannot be together again. They lay down and, one final time, sleep as they used to. They awake in tears.

Courting Mr. Lincoln aims to make a revered historical figure more accessible as a human being. While this is a work of fiction, Bayard hews closely to actual historical events and quotes from extant letters. The narrative demonstrates that the relationship Lincoln and Joshua had was emotionally intense without really addressing the question of whether it was physically intimate, as well. In this portrayal, Lincoln is surprisingly funny; earnest and sincere but with a dry, light humor. This is a novel about what sacrifices are required by those destined for greatness—and about the sacrifices that must be made by the people who love them; it is also a tender portrait of what was at the very least a deep and deeply meaningful friendship, a relationship that was only possible for a little while, but meant very much during its brief span.