Boss Lincoln - The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln

We know Abraham Lincoln as the eloquent, compassionate leader of a nation torn by civil war. But he had another, less visible side, central to his character and leadership: he was a master of party politics. His decades of experience as a party leader proved invaluable to him as president and commander in chief during the Civil War.
Matthew Pinsker's groundbreaking history draws on Lincoln's private correspondence to realize a flesh-and-blood character in Boss Lincoln. Behind closed doors he was shrewd and insistent, capable of deft manipulation, blunt intimidation or thoughtful argument as needed. As a decision-maker he was attentive to detail but kept his own counsel and trusted his own acumen.
With emancipation and the war's outcome at stake, facing withering criticism from all sides, Lincoln won re-election by building a new political coalition through the Union party. Here was Boss Lincoln at his height, captured in absorbing detail in this indelible portrait.

About the author

Matthew Pinsker is one of our foremost historians of Lincoln and the Civil War. He holds the Pohanka Chair in American Civil War History and is director of the House Divided Project at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Product details

• Authors: Matthew Pinsker, Pinsker Matthew
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 03.03.2026
• EAN: 9780393240788
• ISBN: 978-0-393-24078-8
• Illustrations: 8 pages of illustrations
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, Biography: historical, political & military, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / General, HISTORY / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / Executive Branch, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Presidents & Heads of State, c 1800 to c 1900, Political structure & processes, Political leaders & leadership, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas, Biography: historical, political and military, Political leaders and leadership, Central / national / federal government, Political structure and processes, Central government