Ronald C. White, Jr, on Lincoln in Private: What His Personal Reflections Tell Us

Ron White returns to the Lincoln Group, to speak on his new book Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President (Random House, May 2021). Lincoln had a habit of writing reflections and ruminations on little slips of paper. For his book White focuses on twelve of Lincoln’s most important private notes to show the Sixteenth President’s brilliance and empathy as well as his human anxieties and ambitions. Included are Lincoln’s thoughts on slavery and democracy, on personal defeats and achievements. White knows Lincoln well. He has written a biography on Lincoln (A. Lincoln: A Biography) as well as works on his second inaugural address (Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural) and his eloquence (The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words). He has lectured on Lincoln internationally and at the White House. His essays and reviews appear frequently in numerous publications. A graduate of UCLA and Princeton Theological Seminary, he earned his Ph.D. from Princeton and has taught at both institutions. He is a reader at Huntington Library in San Marino, CA and is a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum here in Washington.