# Abe Lincoln's last check **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2012, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578 "2012-01-15T06:24:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/1 "2012-01-15T06:24:30Z")
Written the day before he was assassinated. It was a Cash check to himself. $800 :eek: a massive amount in 1865. I’m surprised the reporters didn’t comment about it. Isn’t that more than the average guy made in an entire year? Makes me wonder where that wealth came from? We don’t pay Presidents all that much even now. I’m not sure what the Prez got in 1865. They speculate that the money was to cover his wife’s debts. Mary Todd blew through all Abe’s money not too long after his death. I recall she died penniless. > **[Last check for $800 Abraham Lincoln wrote the day before he was assassinated...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086848/Check-President-Abraham-Lincoln-wrote-day-killed-discovered-bank-vault.html)** > > The Lincoln check had been made out to 'self' for $800. It is one of 70 found in a vault at Huntington Bank's Columbus headquarters in Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/2 "2012-01-15T06:36:06Z")
He acted as Counsel for several large cooperations such as rail companys and other businesses. He would have been very well off and at this time, living rent free and with other expenses on the State, he would have had a lot of disposable income. He was born in a log cabin, he was not elected from one. ---
**Author:** ![RoeCocoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@RoeCocoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoeCocoa)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/3 "2012-01-15T06:41:37Z")
Daily Mail’s a couple months late with this one. Last November, the [Wall Street Journal](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204630904577056561674231688.html) noted: > [@](#): > > Each month Lincoln wrote a check for about $800, according to Daniel Stowell, the director and editor of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln. “This was probably groceries and necessaries,” Mr. Stowell said. “He obviously didn’t pay any rent, but he did have horses to maintain for carriage and they had to be fed, so that’s perhaps the equivalent of a car payment.” > > The Lincoln check is rare not just because of its timing but also because he wrote only two checks from First National Bank. Lincoln was a banking client of Riggs & Co., Mr. Stowell said. But his August 1864 paycheck, for $1,981,66, was deposited in First National Bank, probably a mistake by the assistant secretary of the treasury who handled Lincoln’s finances. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/4 "2012-01-15T06:50:30Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > He acted as Counsel for several large cooperations such as rail companys and other businesses. He would have been very well off and at this time, living rent free and with other expenses on the State, he would have had a lot of disposable income. > > He was born in a log cabin, he was not elected from one. Interesting [site](http://www.papersofabrahamlincoln.org/narrative_overview.htm#Federal%20Practice) about Lincoln’s legal career. It includes some discussion of his fees. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/5 "2012-01-15T14:10:40Z")
There’s Honest Abe for you: not sneaking the hookers and blow onto the expense account. Unlike Jeff Davis, who personally devalued the Confederate currency by increasing the printing so he’d have enough bills to make every g-strong south of the Mason Dixon look like a hula skirt. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/6 "2012-01-15T14:51:45Z")
Lincoln’s law career was much more extensive then I ever realized. He handled a lot of state appeals court cases and even Federal court cases. All that stuff about wrestling and splitting rails with an axe gave him a folksy political image. Its hard even now to imagine him in the Illinois Supreme Court arguing a case. There was a lot more to the guy than the beard and stovepipe hat. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/7 "2012-01-15T15:03:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Interesting [site](http://www.papersofabrahamlincoln.org/narrative_overview.htm#Federal%20Practice) about Lincoln’s legal career. It includes some discussion of his fees. That’s a good summation of his career; thanks for posting that link. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/8 "2012-01-15T15:04:05Z")
Even though I am a Southerner, I look at him as one of the greatest POTUS’s we have ever had. And yes, Jeff Davis was a cad. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/9 "2012-01-15T15:25:45Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Even though I am a Southerner, I look at him as one of the greatest POTUS’s we have ever had. > > And yes, Jeff Davis was a cad. Davis’ biggest problem was that he wouldn’t listen to advice. He was a competent man but one individual’s abilities can only go so far. He would have been much better off if he had been humble enough to acknowledge that sometimes somebody else knew more than he did. Lincoln demonstrated what this could accomplish. He had no problem with surrounding himself with the most competent people he could find with no need for sycophancy - half his cabinet were political rivals. Lincoln would seek advice from everyone and then decide what the best course of action was. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/10 "2012-01-15T19:24:44Z")
This sounds enormously dumb, but it never even occurred to me that checks existed at that time or as far back as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington (checks written by them are mentioned in the _Daily Mail_ article). ---
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/11 "2012-01-17T18:36:22Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Makes me wonder where that wealth came from? We don’t pay Presidents all that much even now. I’m not sure what the Prez got in 1865. George Washington made $25,000.00 a year as President. When Harding, an Ohio President was in, he made $75,000.00 a year, that I know. I used to have a chart of such book marked? At Lincoln’s time, it was probably up to $50,000.00 a year. Bush jr was the 1st to make $400,000.00 a year. I think Ike was the 1st to make $100,000.00. > [@](#): > > They speculate that the money was to cover his wife’s debts. Mary Todd blew through all Abe’s money not too long after his death. I recall she died penniless. I believe she received a Presidential widow pension, which now is $20,000.00 a year I believe. I think for her it was 5 grand. After Garfield, another Ohio President, was assassinated, his widow, Lucretia, pushed for bigger widow pensions. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/12 "2012-01-17T18:43:28Z")
> [@lawbuff](#): > > George Washington made $25,000.00 a year as President. When Harding, an Ohio President was in, he made $75,000.00 a year, that I know. I used to have a chart of such book marked? > > At Lincoln’s time, it was probably up to $50,000.00 a year. > > Bush jr was the 1st to make $400,000.00 a year. I think Ike was the 1st to make $100,000.00. > > I believe she received a Presidential widow pension, which now is $20,000.00 a year I believe. I think for her it was 5 grand. After Garfield, another Ohio President, was assassinated, his widow, Lucretia, pushed for bigger widow pensions. Is that true? That means that Presidents like Washington and Lincoln made a whole lot more in real buying terms compared to presidents today. I can’t find an inflation calculator that can accurately go back that far but $50,000 a year in 1914 was well over $1,000,000 a year today. $50,000 a year must have been an extraordinary amount in the 1860’s whereas $400,000 a year is good today but lots of people make more than that. ---
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/13 "2012-01-17T18:48:11Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Is that true? That means that Presidents like Washington and Lincoln made a whole lot more in real buying terms compared to presidents today. I can’t find an inflation calculator that can accurately go back that far but $50,000 a year in 1914 was well over $1,000,000 a year today. $50,000 a year must have been an extraordinary amount in the 1860’s whereas $400,000 a year is good today but lots of people make more than that. The site I remembered had an inflation calculator, just as you describe. I have not searched for it though. Just as a throw out figure, I would 25 grand in 1789 is in today’s $$ about 1/2 million?? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/14 "2012-01-17T19:27:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Davis’ biggest problem was that he wouldn’t listen to advice. He was a competent man but one individual’s abilities can only go so far. He would have been much better off if he had been humble enough to acknowledge that sometimes somebody else knew more than he did. > > Lincoln demonstrated what this could accomplish. He had no problem with surrounding himself with the most competent people he could find with no need for sycophancy - half his cabinet were political rivals. Lincoln would seek advice from everyone and then decide what the best course of action was. I think we can have an entire thread on what Davis’ problems were. Another huge problem Davis had was he would hold a grudge. He remembered personal slights whereas Lincoln would “hold his [McClellan’s] horse if he could preserve the Union.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/15 "2012-01-17T19:31:50Z")
The other big difference is that Lincoln would adapt and learn from his mistakes, while Davis would refuse to make changes in his thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/16 "2012-01-17T19:42:21Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The other big difference is that Lincoln would adapt and learn from his mistakes, while Davis would refuse to make changes in his thinking. I’ve said a similar thing about WWII. I think a major factor in who won was that as the war progressed, Stalin listened to his generals more and Hitler listened to his generals less. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/17 "2012-01-17T22:43:39Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Is that true? That means that Presidents like Washington and Lincoln made a whole lot more in real buying terms compared to presidents today. I can’t find an inflation calculator that can accurately go back that far but $50,000 a year in 1914 was well over $1,000,000 a year today. $50,000 a year must have been an extraordinary amount in the 1860’s whereas $400,000 a year is good today but lots of people make more than that. [Here’s a chart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States#Compensation) that adjusts Presidential salaries to 2009 dollars. In 1873, when the $50,000 a year Presidential salary was established, the equivalent in 2009 dollars was $865,000. The current Presidential salary of $400,000 is also supplemented by a $50,000 expense account, a non-taxable travel account of $100,000, and $19,000 for entertainment. In 2001, $400,000 was also worth what it would take $487,000 to buy in 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/18 "2012-01-18T17:05:52Z")
That bank isn’t far from me. I may go see the checks this afternoon after work. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/19 "2012-01-19T03:03:17Z")
OK, I saw them. Only the presidential checks are displayed - none of those of Twain, Edision etc. (the friendly clerk to whom I spoke said she didn’t know where they are). The checks look just like the photos in the article - all of the signatures are still crisp and clear. Pretty cool. The bank branch is just like any other, on a busy street corner with a gas station across the street. I’m actually a little worried someone may try to smash-and-grab the checks - they’re just in simple glass-front cabinets like you’d get in an office furniture store. Other than being in a bank, there’s no obvious security - not even a guard in the lobby. Maybe I’ll write to the bank CEO. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578/20 "2012-01-19T05:30:00Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Is that true? That means that Presidents like Washington and Lincoln made a whole lot more in real buying terms compared to presidents today. I can’t find an inflation calculator that can accurately go back that far but $50,000 a year in 1914 was well over $1,000,000 a year today. $50,000 a year must have been an extraordinary amount in the 1860’s whereas $400,000 a year is good today but lots of people make more than that. It’s worth noting that the President had to pay the entire domestic staff of the [del]White House[/del] Executive Mansion out of his own pocket as well as pay for all catering expenses (including for state functions). Modern presidents don’t have to do that (well, they still have to pay for strictly personal entertaining). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abe-lincolns-last-check/609578.md?page=2)