Edward Baker Lincoln Biography

On March 10, 1846, the Lincolns welcomed their second son, Eddie, into the world. This was an exciting period in Lincoln’s political career as well. From the early 1830s, Lincoln had been an ardent Whig supporter and had unsuccessfully run in 1843 for the party’s nomination for Illinois's 7th district of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1846, he would win the nomination and named his newborn son after Baker who played an instrumental role in making the nomination possible.

Five months later, Lincoln was elected to the House of Representatives. Following this, Lincoln and Mary decided to take their children to Washington D.C. Ever the idealist, Lincoln had certain preconceived notions about the capital of the United States, none of which he came to realize were true. Disappointed but not disheartened, Lincoln sent his family to the Todd home in Lexington, Kentucky, while he remained back in the city.

The couple maintained regular contact through letters in which Mary informed her husband about their life in Kentucky. In one instance, she wrote about a kitten that Robert found and brought home, much to the displeasure of Mary’s stepmother Elizabeth "Betsy" Humphreys, who disliked cats. Humphreys tried to throw it out but Eddie protested, screaming and crying. The responsibility of taking care of the kitten fell on Eddie who nursed and looked after the helpless animal. Humphreys eventually would have her way, banishing the kitten from the household. In later years, his parents would recall him as a tender-hearted, kind, and loving child.

While Eddie had been ill for the most part of his father’s tenure in the US Congress, there were periods when he was perfectly healthy. It was quite possible that he was suffering from some chronic illness. The doctors at the time diagnosed it as diphtheria. The census record lists the cause of death as chronic consumption, which is now known as tuberculosis. In 1850, more Americans died of it than any other disease; at least half of its victims were not even five years old.

Recent studies suggest that the cause of the death could have been medullary thyroid cancer. Consumption is generally referred to as any wasting disease and cancer is a wasting disease. Furthermore, his father and two of his three brothers had several features similar to people who have the genetic cancer syndrome multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b (MEN2B) and Eddie himself had a thick, asymmetric lower lip, which is compatible with MEN2B. All people who have MEN2B, get afflicted with medullary thyroid cancer, many at an early age. However, this theory has been countered by the fact that Abraham Lincoln lived up to the age of 56, and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b usually becomes fatal when the victim reaches their thirties, if left untreated. Hence, Tuberculosis has been ruled as the more plausible cause of Eddie’s death.

Eddie died on February 1, 1850, at their Springfield home a month before his fourth birthday. Initially, his body was placed at Hutchinson's Cemetery in Springfield with a marble tombstone marking the grave. It had an angel on the top and the last line from ‘Little Eddie’ inscribed below. After the death of his father, his remains were moved to the Lincoln Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery, also in Springfield.

The identity of the poet of ‘Little Eddie’ was not known for years. Many presumed that the poem was written by Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary. In 2012, the Abraham Lincoln Association put out an article that concluded that it was written by an Illinois-based young poet.

Edward's tragic death at the age of 4 due to illness deeply affected his parents and left a lasting impact on the Lincoln family.