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Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and author
of Judging
Lincoln
Q:
Judging Lincoln is a “best of” volume containing nine of
your most influential essays on Lincoln from the past two decades. As
someone who has invested so much time in Lincoln research and scholarship,
what do you think Americans most need to learn from the legacy of our
sixteenth president as we enter the twenty-first century? What have you
learned from Lincoln that has had the greatest impact upon your life? A: Americans need to cherish Abraham Lincoln's strength of character, patience, resilience and yes, his ability to be Machiavellian when he had to—especially now that we are at war. His greatest impact on me is teaching me that, in our democracy, everyone has the “right to rise,” to be whatever they wish. Of course, there will be failures and setbacks but we must learn to live with those and continue to push the envelope for ourselves and our nation.
Q: As the chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, how does your extensive knowledge of Abraham Lincoln affect your rulings? A:
Immeasurably. I try to remember what Mr. Lincoln taught me,
that there is a distinction between law and justice. The law represents
the statutes and ordinances given us by legislatures, whereas justice is
not just law but also the relationship among people. Both elements need to
be considered when deciding a case so that when justice is done, there is
a pleasurable sense to the emotions.
Q:
Judging Lincoln contains forty-nine previously unpublished
illustrations from your private collection of over 22,000 Lincoln
artifacts. Given the number of choices available to you, how difficult was
it to settle on images for this volume? What goals were you seeking to
achieve with the images you've selected? A:
It was very difficult to choose from among so many.
Of course, I tried to select a range that would represent how broad the
field is as well as have the items relating to the subject matter of the
essays. But for this volume, I was also drawn to include as many of the
items Lincoln himself actually saw and touched as I could, those items for
which I have a particular affection. And fortunately, my publisher
encouraged a large number of illustrations—enough almost to constitute a
pictorial history of Lincoln, and enough to lecture.
Q: The final essay in the book addresses the topic of collecting
Lincoln memorabilia, something you began doing at age eleven. What's the
most impressive piece in your collection?
Would
you trade anything in your collection for anything
you don’t yet have? A: It is almost impossible to choose one special item. But I do have an inscribed copy of the Lincoln-Douglas debates signed by Mr. Lincoln. He was so proud of his work in these debates that he collected transcribed copies of each of the seven and assembled them for publication in 1860. He would then send signed copies to his friends and fellow politicians. Of course, we know he lost the 1858 senate election to Stephen A. Douglas, the incumbent. It would be very difficult to give up anything my wife and I have in our collection, especially as this is part of my legacy and will ultimately go to a college that has no collection of its own.
Q:
At the start of this book, you devote some time and text to
discussing the lasting international legacy of Abraham Lincoln. How is he
perceived by the world at large? Will the essays in this collection change
that perception? A: I think the perception of
Lincoln across the seas is still very good, probably better than among
some Americans. Professor William D. Pederson,
who heads the International Lincoln Center at Louisiana State University
in Shreveport, once asked his students to speak with foreign embassy
officials in Washington. They found high opinions of President Lincoln. To
many citizens of foreign lands, Lincoln represents the best democracy has
to offer. The heart of his international legacy is the belief that we all
can more fully practice democratic principles. I hope these essays will
further encourage this belief and entice more to study him. Q: Two of your essays look at the influence of women and personal friendships upon the Lincoln presidency. How did the private Lincoln differ from the public Lincoln? What will readers be most surprised to learn about the influence of the women in Lincoln's life? A: I believe my findings in
these essays demonstrate that Lincoln
was the same person at home as he was on the legal circuit or when he was
practicing politics. He was compassionate, patient and giving—the same
kind of qualities that you expect to find in a true leader. No reader
should be surprised to find that like many great leaders, these qualities
that some would consider more feminine actually enhance Lincoln's
masculinity.
Q: Much of this collection centers on analysis of Lincoln's leadership abilities. Which of Lincoln's leadership traits should contemporary world leaders strive to emulate? A: Forthrightness, not being afraid to take their countries where they should be going. Honest dealing. The ability to communicate with all. The use of language to inspire. Having a goal that people will follow you to obtain. Humility. As Chief Justice, I will never forget what President Lincoln said to Senator Henry Wilson when all expressed concern about his long hours and his willingness to see and meet with all who wanted to see him, regardless of their status in life: “They don't want much, and they don’t get but little, and I must see them.” To me, this represents the quintessential leader and is the reason people will follow such leadership.
Q: In discussing Lincoln the leader, you compare him to FDR and Winston Churchill, a contest Lincoln wins in your mind. Why did you choose to make this particular comparison? How do other, more contemporary public figures stack up against Lincoln?
A:
There
were several reasons. The first is that I wanted to do something for the
50th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1995. Since FDR and
Churchill were the great leaders of that war, I wanted to compare them to
the greatest American president who led us through civil war and redefined
democracy at the same time. I also was taken with the “warrior,
communitarian, and echo” theory that I used to compare these three great
leaders. While
I am usually a hopeful person, I am deeply chagrined that our contemporary
leaders do not do well when compared to Lincoln, or to FDR and Churchill
for that matter.
Q: As the founding chair of the Lincoln Forum and a past president of the Abraham Lincoln Association and the Lincoln Group of Boston, you've long held a place of authority within the Lincoln studies community. And you've managed to get contributions to this new volume from three more of the biggest names in the field, with a foreword from Harold Holzer, and epilogue from John Y. Simon, and an essay coauthored with Mark E. Neely Jr. Given your influence in this arena of Americana, what advice and encouragement would you give to emerging scholars in the field, and indeed to anyone else interested in learning about Lincoln?
A:
Be
involved. Join a local Lincoln group. Read every thing you can about him
as there are many Lincoln books published each year. And yes, try to
collect Lincoln items, not necessarily everything, but as our essay points
out, some aspect of Lincoln's career and life—even if it is ephemera. Go
to Lincoln and Civil War conferences where papers about Lincoln are
delivered, including a meeting like our Lincoln Forum. One will make many
friends (as it should be), learn much, and hopefully inspire. I can
remember the time when the Lincoln field was civil, gentlemanly, and each
of us supported the other. This was also part of Lincoln's spirit. All of
us need to strive for a return to this kind of exemplary friendship. It is
the Lincoln way and why I believe the Lincoln Forum has been so
successful. We stress this civility, fellowship, and collegiality in the
same manner that Lincoln himself did.
Q: You've been appointed by Congress to plan events commemorating Lincoln's bicentennial birthday in 2009. What's in store for this national celebration?
A:
We
are in for a great party at which we can celebrate the man as well as
America. We are still in the early planning process, but we envision many
publications, not only in English but many languages that tell the Abraham
Lincoln story. There will be speeches and conferences. I hope that each
state will have its own Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. There
will be events at all the Lincoln sites in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois,
and Washington. We will also reach out to other countries as we did in
1959 when we had the Lincoln sesquicentennial. All in all I would want
this to be a celebration about what is good about Mr. Lincoln and our
country. To do this, we need to be all inclusive in terms of all
ethnicities, as Mr. Lincoln would have expected. The legacy of our
sixteenth president is bold and broad enough for all Americans to
participate and to seek their own “right to rise.”
About the Author The
gavel on his desk is crafted from a floorboard of Abraham Lincoln’s law
office, and that’s not even the most impressive piece in his collection.
Frank J. Williams, chief justice of
the Supreme Court of Rhode Island began amassing Lincoln artifacts at age
eleven; that collection now contains an estimated 22,000 items, including
12,000 publications. The Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of
Lincolniana ranks among the nation’s largest and finest Lincoln
collections. See the attached Wall Street Journal article for more
information on this massive collection and its place in Williams’s life
and career. Among
the nation’s leading students of our sixteenth president, Williams has
authored or edited eleven previous books on Lincoln, contributed chapters
to several others, and lectured on the subject of the Lincoln legacy
throughout the country. Williams
is the founding chairman of the Lincoln Forum, the current president of
the Ulysses S. Grant Association, and a past president of the Abraham
Lincoln Association and the Lincoln Group of Boston. In 2000, Chief
Justice Williams was appointed by Congress to the Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial Commission to plan events commemorating the two hundredth
birthday of Abraham Lincoln in 2009. Presently Williams is writing a
bibliography of Lincoln titles published since 1865 and, with Harold
Holzer and Edna Green Medford, is writing a book on the Emancipation
Proclamation. This author is available for interview. Contact Jane Carlson at Southern Illinois University Press for details.
Photo
credit: Reuben Perez
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