Lincoln as Railroad Lawyer
Abraham Lincoln made his living as a
railroad lawyer specifically for the Illinois Central and the Chicago and Rock
Island. Lawyer/historian Brian McGinty turns his keen eye on the now obscure
struggle between steamboat and rail interests for dominance over Midwest transportation
that chrystalized with sinking of the steamboat Effie Afton at the Rock Island
Bridge. The owners of the Effie Afton supported by the St. Louis river
interests sued for damages and argued that the bridge should come down because it
was a hazard to navigation. Lincoln’s role in the case was to assist Norman
Judd in defending the bridge and its railroad owners. This is a book more for
history nerds than for the general reader.
The Rock Island Bridge was the first to
cross the Mississippi in 1853 and sinking occurred in 1856. The steamboat
interests rightly feared the railroads and fought tooth and nail against them
with a strong ally in Washington, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. Davis was
not anti-railroad; he just wanted a more southern route to extend slavery into
the southwest. As a Secretary of War he surveyed the west and came up with four
potential routes. Although not mentioned in the book, those routes ultimately became
the backbones of the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and Northern
Pacific railroads, but that was to come later.
Lincoln’s main role at the trial was in
his summation where without notes he demonstrated his knowledge about all
things mechanical and his deep understanding of the currents of the Mississippi
River. Although the jury verdict was not unanimous, the 9-3 vote in favor of
the bridge opened the way for railroad penetration west of the Mississippi.
Norman Judd, the lead counsel, ultimately would become one of the key backers
of Lincoln’s presidential run three years later.
McGinty tells a good story, but there is
lots of trial stuff here that only a lawyer would love.
The Amazon URL is: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1VEG3F3LNPRXH
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