I'm reading Assassination Vacation, a book about Sarah Vowell's non-fiction obsession with historical sites and museums related to Presidential Assassination. It's a very enjoyable little book, travel-writing for the historically morbid. She spends a good number of words on Robert Todd Lincoln.
Son of Abraham Lincoln, Robert was invited to Ford's Theatre, and though he did not attend that night, he was on hand when his father died hours later. He was also on hand when Presidents Garfield and McKinley died of gunshot wounds. In all three cases, sitting Presidents invited him to the events where they were assassinated. Thereafter, he instituted a policy of turning down all invitations from the White House. This was, of course, a very good decision, and encourage everyone to adopt similar policies of their own.
Another tidbit I find interesting about Robert Todd Lincoln is that he once fell off a station platform and onto a track in front of a rushing locomotive. A stranger in the crowd immediately grabbed after him, and pulled him to safety. That stranger who saved his life just happened to be Edwin Booth, a man whose brother would later go on to kill Robert's father.
I think Robert Todd Lincoln would make for a very interesting character in a novel, film, or tv series, especially one with a devilish conspiracy plot-line. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten more attention from Science Fiction and Alternate History authors. Honestly, with all those coincidences, I'm surprised he doesn't get more attention from conspiracy theorists, either. After all, he's got three names, and in this country, that usually means you're a lone nut.
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