Lincoln's Speechwriter

John Hay and the Friendship That Inspired American Eloquence

Jan Cigliano Hartman

• Publisher: Post Hill Press
• Year: 2026
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9798895652817
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: History

John Hay: the Voice Behind the Legendary Oratory of Abraham Lincoln

John Hay’s contributions to Abraham Lincoln’s political oratory—including his First Inaugural of March 1861, Springfield Farewell Speech of February 1861, the Gettysburg Address of November 1863, as well as many others—uplifted the president’s influence. An extraordinary transformation that appeared throughout his speeches, Hay helped launch Lincoln’s Republican campaign that culminated in Lincoln being elected the 16th president of the United States.

The rhyme and language of a writer’s voice is the living soul of narrative. The evolution of John Hay’s voice, established during his formative and college years at Brown University and echoed during his time with Abraham Lincoln, is documented in Lincoln’s Speechwriter through evidence of Hay’s distinct voice and Lincoln’s ability to engage audiences, fused into something remarkable.

Lincoln’s Speechwriter gives readers a closer look into the man behind the political voice that was Lincoln himself.

Table of contents

• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: 1840 America
• Chapter 2: “I am nothing but an American”
• Chapter 3: Illinois Heartland
• Chapter 4: The Gifted Child
• Chapter 5: A Classical Education
• Chapter 6: Brown University
• Chapter 7: Brown Poet Laureate
• Chapter 8: Return to Illinois
• Chapter 9: At Lincoln’s Side
• Chapter 10: Finding His Muse
• Chapter 11: Dexterity Under Pressure
• Chapter 12: The Confidant
• Chapter 13: Recording the Civil War Presidency
• Chapter 14: Lincoln’s Spokesperson
• Chapter 15: Lincoln’s Journalist
• Chapter 16: The Mystery of Lincoln’s Eloquence
• Chapter 17: Silent Respect
• Chapter 18: Introducing Emancipation
• Chapter 19: Kindred Spirits
• Chapter 20: A Changing Tide
• Chapter 21: Forgiveness, Tolerance, Trust
• Chapter 22: “This Last Resting Place of Freedom”
• Chapter 23: The Gettysburg Legacy
• Chapter 24: Lincoln’s Attaché
• Chapter 25: Lincoln’s Negotiator
• Chapter 26: “When The Boys Come Home”
• Chapter 27: The Reckoning
• Epilogue: John Hay, Poet in the Civil War White House: A Selection
• Endnotes
• Acknowledgments
• Bibliography