Operation Assassination: Lincolnisms vs. Kennedyms - Part VIII

We're celebrating Operation Assassination, a trivia-laden white paper I compiled 25 years ago that indirectly spawned this blog. In 2000, I combined my original paper with material I found online that I published on a GeoCities account. As part of this retrospect, I revisited what I found and republished the information.

Evelyn Lincoln and Secretary Kennedy

We already touched on one of the more popular facts:

• Kennedy had a secretary named Evelyn Lincoln (whose husband Harold's nickname was Abe); she warned him not to go to Dallas
• Lincoln had a personal secretary named John Kennedy who warned him not to go to the theatre.

However, no record of Secretary Kennedy exists.

The rest of the story comes from author Michael A. Day:

Lincoln had two secretaries, John J. Nicolay and John M. Hay. They are pictured in the book Dear Mr. Lincoln: Letters to the President by Harold Holzer on page ii. There is no mention that I have found that either of these secretaries was concerned about Mr. Lincoln's safety.

I think I have tracked down the source of this error, which has been widely quoted, apparently since 1964. Author Jim Bishop researched a book in the fall of 1963 called A Day in the Life of President Kennedy. It was published in early 1964. At the end of the book's paperback edition, he listed several parallels between the lives and deaths of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy. In particular, he noted that:

• " ... When he became president, in 1861, one of the persons most worried about his safety was John Kennedy, Superintendent of Police in New York."
• "... When he became president in 1961, one of the persons most worried about his safety was Evelyn Lincoln, his personal secretary."

While these statements may be factually correct, as early as July 21, 1964 (according to a document in my possession), a leaflet published by Abingdon Church in Glouscester, Virginia, reported that:

• " ... Lincoln's secretary, Kennedy by name, advised him not to go to the theater. Kennedy's secretary, Lincoln by name, advised him not to go to Dallas. ... "

This error has survived more than 30 years! For example, the Tucker Times [Georgia] published a blurb in March 1997 under the title "The Kennedy-Lincoln Coincidence," which also claimed:

• " ... Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln. Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. Both secretaries advised their presidents not to go to the places where they were assassinated. ... "

Do not be fooled: Lincoln did not have a Secretary named Kennedy.