CLS: Tom Culbertson

Abraham Lincoln in Political Cartoons

Abraham Lincoln ranks as America’s finest president by both historians and ordinary citizens. His successful conduct of the war, issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation and the subsequent ending of slavery along with his martyrdom make Lincoln a nearly mythical figure. However, prior to his elevation to sainthood, Lincoln was viewed like any other politician. Political cartoonists had a field day exploiting the sixteenth president’s unusual appearance as well has his perceived failings. “Abraham Lincoln in Political Cartoons” is an exploration of the president fared at the hands of political cartoonists from 1859 to his death in 1865 and beyond.

Thomas Culbertson was raised in Moline, Illinois and St. Louis Missouri. He earned a B.A. in History from Knox College and a Master of Information Science from Syracuse University. From 1970 to 1972 he served as a lieutenant in the United States Army. He was a college librarian at Buena Vista College for four years followed by nine years as a stockbroker in Fremont, Ohio. In 1988 he began a twenty-four career at the Rutherford B. Hayes Library and Museums in Fremont, Ohio. He retired as Executive Director in 2012. He is the author of Rutherford B. Hayes: A Life of Service. His academic interests are Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and political cartooning. Since 2016 he and his wife, Mary Anne, have lived in Westlake, Ohio, where he builds furniture, plays golf, travels, and reads to keep busy.