Lincoln on Law, Leadership, and Life

130 Pages·2015·3.266 MB·English

by  Jonathan White

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LINCOLN
on Law,
Leadership,
and Life
Jonathan W. White
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Copyright © by Jonathan W. White
Cover and internal design © 2015 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover design by Lynn Harker/Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover images/illustrations © SuperStock
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
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systems— except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or
reviews— without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information
in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that
the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional
service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a
competent professional person should be sought.—F rom a Declaration of Principles
Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of
Publishers and Associations
Published by Cumberland House, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4 410
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Printed and bound in the China.
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For my prelaw students at
Christopher Newport University
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When Abraham Lincoln left Springfield, Illinois,
for the White House in February 1861, he
turned to his law partner, William H. Herndon,
and said, “Billy, over sixteen years together,
and we have not had a cross word during all that
time, have we?”
“Not one,” replied Herndon.
“Don’t take the sign down, Billy; let it swing,
that our clients may understand that the election
of a President makes no change in the firm of
Lincoln and Herndon. If I live, I’m coming
back, and we will go right on practicing law as if
nothing had ever happened.”
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Introduction ix
Chapter 1: “If You Wish to Be a Lawyer”
Lincoln’s Advice to Aspiring Lawyers 1
Chapter 2: “Resolve to Be Honest at
All Events”
Lincoln’s Character as a Lawyer 17
Chapter 3: “Discourage Litigation”
Lincoln’s Advice to His Clients 33
Chapter 4: “Leave Nothing for To-m orrow
Which Can Be Done To-d ay”
Lincoln’s Preparation for Trial 43
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Chapter 5: “On Rising to Address
the Jury”
Lincoln in the Courtroom 59
Chapter 6: “All the Laws but One”
A Lawyer in the White House 73
Epilogue: “Reverence for the Laws” 93
A Note on Sources 99
Index 105
Acknowledgments 109
About the Author 113
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INTRODUCTION
In October 1857, Abraham Lincoln
defended a seventy- year- old woman
named Melissa Goings, who was on trial for
the murder of her husband. Melissa and her
seventy-s even-y ear-o ld husband, Roswell,
had apparently been living “rather disagree-
ably” for some time. On April 14, 1857, the
two got into a fight over whether or not to
open a window. Roswell allegedly tried to
choke Melissa; she therefore claimed to be
acting in self- defense when she whacked
him over the head with a stick of firewood.
“I expect she has killed me,” Roswell told
a neighbor after the scuffle, adding, “If I get
over it I will have revenge.” He died four
days later.
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