1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: a show for those interested in the big and small 4 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: moments of history. I'm Gabe Louzier, and in this episode 5 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: we're talking about two unexpected pen pals, Abraham Lincoln and 6 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: the grade schooler who convinced him the growing a beard 7 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: would be good for his career. The day was October 8 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty. A young girl named Grace Biddell wrote a 9 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: letter to Abraham Lincoln urging him to grow a beard 10 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: before the upcoming election. Lincoln followed her advice, and by 11 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: the time of elect and day, he had grown a 12 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: beard as full as the one he has on the penny. 13 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: Despite her age, the eleven year old girl from Westfield, 14 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: New York seemed to understand the difficult task that lay 15 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: before Lincoln. He would need all the help he could 16 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: get to win the presidency in an increasingly divided country 17 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: which was teetering on the brink of civil war. Luckily 18 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: for Lincoln, Grace had a solution. She believed that growing 19 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: a beard would improve his chances of winning by making 20 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: him more appealing both to women and to their bearded husbands, so, 21 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,839 Speaker 1: with just a few weeks of growing time left before 22 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: the election, she penned the following letter, quote, Honorable Abraham Lincoln, 23 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: my father has just home from the fair and brought 24 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: home your picture and Mr Hamlin's. I am a little girl, 25 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: only eleven years old, but want you should be President 26 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: of the United States very much. So I hope you 27 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: won't think me very bold to write to such a 28 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: great man as you are. Have you any little girls 29 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:12,079 Speaker 1: about as large as I am? If so, give them 30 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: my love and tell her to write to me if 31 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 1: you cannot answer this letter. I have got four brothers, 32 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: and part of them will vote for you anyway, And 33 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 1: if you let your whiskers grow, I will try and 34 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: get the rest of them to vote for you. You 35 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: would look a great deal better, for your face is 36 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: so thin. All the ladies like whiskers, and they would 37 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: tease their husbands to vote for you, and then you 38 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: would be president. My father is going to vote for you, 39 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: and if I was a man, I would vote for 40 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: you too. But I will try and get everyone to 41 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: vote for you that I can. I think that rail 42 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: fence around your picture makes it look very pretty. I 43 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: have got a little baby sister. She is nine weeks 44 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,399 Speaker 1: old and is just as cunning as can be. When 45 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: you direct your letter directed to Grace Badell, Westfield, Chattock County, 46 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: New York, I must not write anymore. Answer this letter 47 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: right off. Goodbye, Grace Bidell. In a true credit to 48 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: the postal service of the day, Lincoln received Grace's letter 49 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: in a matter of days and personally responded to her 50 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: on October nineteen. The soon to be president kept it 51 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: short but sweet, writing quote, Miss Grace Bidell, my dear 52 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: little miss, your very agreeable letter of the fifteen is received. 53 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: I regret the necessity of saying I have no daughters. 54 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: I have three sons, one seventeen, one nine and one 55 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: seven years of age. They, with their mother, constitute my 56 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: whole family. As to the whiskers, having never worn any, 57 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: do you not think Pool would call it a piece 58 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: of silly affection if I were to begin it now? 59 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: You're very sincere, well wisher A. Lincoln. His question at 60 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: the end of the letter makes him seem a little skeptical, 61 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: perhaps because of that shade Grace had thrown about him 62 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:22,600 Speaker 1: having a narrow face. Regardless, shortly after their correspondence, Abraham 63 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:26,840 Speaker 1: Lincoln began to grow a beard. Some historians have gone 64 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 1: so far as to argue that Grace was right and 65 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: that the new look really did impact his chances. In 66 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: the end, Lincoln won the Electoral College with less than 67 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: fort of the popular vote, one of the lowest vote 68 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: shares in American history. He won, anyway, by sweeping the 69 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: Pacific coast and the North, including Grace's home state of 70 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: New York. It's entirely possible that the large voter turnout 71 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,600 Speaker 1: in those states was due at least in part to 72 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: Lincoln's fuller face, and to those who might claim the 73 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: whole thing was a coincidence and that Grace's letter it 74 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: wasn't the real reason Lincoln grew a beard. Well, take 75 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 1: it from the man himself. On the way to his 76 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: inauguration in February of eighteen sixty one, the President elect 77 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:22,280 Speaker 1: stopped in Fredonia, New York, close to Grace's hometown of Westfield. 78 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: He arranged to have her there in the crowd that day, 79 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: and at the close of his speech he said, quote, 80 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: during the campaign last fall, I received a letter from 81 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:36,720 Speaker 1: this place, and a very pretty letter. It was too. 82 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: It was written by a young girl, whose name, if 83 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:44,280 Speaker 1: I remember rightly, was Biddell. Among many other things in 84 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 1: that letter was a recommendation that I should let my 85 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: whiskers grow and it would improve my appearance. It was 86 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: partly from that suggestion that I have done, so. If 87 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: that young lady is in this crowd, I should very 88 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 1: much like to see her. At that point, according to Grace, 89 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: she came forward, and Lincoln leaned down, kissed her cheek, 90 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: and said, you see, I let these whiskers grow for you. 91 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 1: She then ran off into the crowd, forgetting entirely that 92 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,280 Speaker 1: she was still carrying the bouquet of flowers she had 93 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: meant to give Lincoln. President Abraham Lincoln is widely esteemed 94 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: today for the policies he enacted that helped change the 95 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 1: face of the nation, but he also looms large in 96 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:34,239 Speaker 1: history for other reasons. At six ft and four inches tall, 97 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: he still stands as the tallest of American presidents, a 98 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:43,919 Speaker 1: full foot taller than James Madison, the shortest of American presidents. 99 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: His height and his similarly tall hat make him one 100 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: of the easiest presidents to identify by his picture. But 101 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:55,360 Speaker 1: I wonder how many people today would still recognize him 102 00:06:55,440 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: without that trademark beard. It's actually another physical distinction that 103 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: Lincoln claims among presidents. He was the first to sport 104 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: a beard while in office. Still, he should only get 105 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: partial credit for the idea. The lion's share belongs to 106 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: Grace Biddell, the girl who gave Lincoln one of his 107 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: most defining features by making himself conscious about how thin 108 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: is faceless. I'm Gabe Louizier and hopefully you now know 109 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 110 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: You can learn even more about history by following us 111 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d I HC 112 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: Show And if you have any suggestions for what kind 113 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: of facial hair would make me a more appealing podcast host, 114 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: please send them to This Day at I heart media 115 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 116 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 117 00:07:55,480 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in History class mm hmmm. 118 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart 119 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 120 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 1: favorite shows.