Brian Fox Ellis

Lincoln the Lawyer Brian Fox Ellis

This book explores lesser known aspects of Lincoln's legal career from the point of view of one who knew him best, Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon. Herndon wrote one of the first, most important, and controversial biographies of Abraham Lincoln. He conducted dozens of interviews with informants who knew Lincoln personally. Herndon shares stories from Lincoln's life as a lawyer, his early legal training and some of the most important cases won and lost, including legal precedent that is still quoted in modern courts! Was Lincoln a backwoods, self taught lawyer or was he one of the highest paid lawyers in America in his day? How did his legal career prepare him to be the best president this nation has ever known?Written in a personable and friendly tone, as if you are in the audience as Herndon delivers a Chautauqua style program woven with personal stories and exceptional scholarship, revealing details that few have known until now. Herndon shares real affection and appreciation for Lincoln the Lawyer. The reader will find the enthusiasm contagious. They will also gain real insight into the humor and complex understanding of Constitutional law found in Lincoln's work. The author, Brian "Fox" Ellis, presents hundreds of performances each year as one of several 'friends of Lincoln'. He performs in many of the courthouses where Lincoln practiced law and at the Old State Capitol where Lincoln and Herndon won over 200 State Supreme Court cases. This book grew out the research Fox did for the Looking for Lincoln Tourism board in which he visited many of the courtrooms where Lincoln practiced law, read original transcripts of court cases, and translated them into tellable tales. The premiere performance of this material was at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The book is aimed to please Lincoln fans and add depth to the field of Lincoln research, it not only walks the line between entertainment and scholarship, it dances between these worlds with a lively lilt!