Joshua Speed

Joshua Speed. He was a prominent Kentucky merchant and farmer best known for his formative and lifelong friendship with Abraham Lincoln. Their intimate bond, forged when the young Lincoln lived with him in Springfield, Illinois, provided crucial emotional and intellectual support during Lincoln's early legal and political career. Speed later became a significant, though discreet, political confidant and a source of Southern perspective for the future President of the United States.

Early Life and Education

Born at Farmington, Kentucky, he was the son of John Speed, a wealthy plantation owner and judge, and Lucy Gilmer Fry Speed. He received a classical education at local academies, including St. Joseph's College in Bardstown, Kentucky. Following his schooling, he worked in the family's mercantile and agricultural enterprises, gaining experience in business and the management of enslaved labor on the family's Hemp plantation. In 1835, seeking his own fortune, he relocated to the growing frontier town of Springfield, Illinois, where he co-founded the general store of Bell & Speed.

Career

His mercantile career in Springfield, Illinois began in partnership with William Bell, operating a store that served as a social and commercial hub. After selling his share of the business, he returned to Kentucky in 1841 to manage the family estate, Farmington. There, he oversaw extensive agricultural operations and became a successful Hemp farmer and slaveholder. Though not a politician, his later career was deeply intertwined with the political tumult of the era, as he leveraged his connections and wealth, maintaining a correspondence that offered Abraham Lincoln insights into Border State sentiment.

Relationship with Abraham Lincoln

Their profound friendship began in 1837 when a penniless Abraham Lincoln entered his store to purchase bedding on credit; he instead offered to share his own room above the shop, beginning a four-year period of cohabitation. This period was marked by intense intellectual exchange, shared melancholy, and discussions on topics like slavery and Mathematics. He was a witness to Lincoln's tumultuous courtship of Mary Todd and offered critical counsel. Their correspondence, including Lincoln's revealing letters during a period of emotional crisis in 1841, provides historians with unparalleled insight into Lincoln's private life and anxieties. During the American Civil War, he served as a trusted, unofficial advisor, making visits to the White House and providing Lincoln with candid assessments of Kentucky politics and Union morale.

Later Life and Legacy

Following the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, he became a guardian of the president's legacy, granting interviews to biographers like William Herndon and John G. Nicolay. He remained a respected figure in Louisville, Kentucky civic and business circles. His primary historical legacy rests on his unique personal relationship with Abraham Lincoln, which has been the subject of extensive scholarly analysis regarding 19th-century male friendship, intimacy, and Lincoln's psychological development. His first-hand recollections remain indispensable primary sources for historians of the Lincoln administration and the American Civil War era.

Personal Life

In 1842, he married Fanny Henning Speed, a cousin, after a courtship that paralleled and was encouraged by Abraham Lincoln's own pursuit of Mary Todd. The couple had no children. He was a lifelong resident of Kentucky, maintaining his status as a member of the planter aristocracy while holding increasingly complex views on the institution of slavery. A devout Episcopalian, he was involved in charitable work in Louisville, Kentucky. His personal papers and extensive correspondence with Lincoln are held by institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Category:1814 births Category:1882 deaths Category:People from Louisville, Kentucky Category:Friends of Abraham Lincoln