Boss Lincoln

We know Abraham Lincoln as the eloquent, compassionate leader of a nation torn by civil war. But he had another, less visible side, central to his character and leadership: he was a master of party politics. His decades of experience as a party leader proved invaluable to him as president and commander in chief during the Civil War.

Matthew Pinsker’s groundbreaking history draws on Lincoln’s private correspondence to realize a flesh-and-blood character in Boss Lincoln. Behind closed doors he was shrewd and insistent, capable of deft manipulation, blunt intimidation or thoughtful argument as needed. As a decision-maker he was attentive to detail but kept his own counsel and trusted his own acumen.

With emancipation and the war’s outcome at stake, facing withering criticism from all sides, Lincoln won re-election by building a new political coalition through the Union party. Here was Boss Lincoln at his height, captured in absorbing detail in this indelible portrait.