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LAWRENCE: Goodwin helps Rider kick off anniversary

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is the first to admit that spending time studying dead presidents may be an odd career choice, but it was her experience as an intern to the late President Lyndon B. Johnson that inspired her to pursue it.
Among all the applicants for internships, she was chosen by President Johnson, much to her surprise, given her vehement opposition to the Vietnam War, said Ms. Goodwin, who spoke Tuesday at Rider University’s kickoff to its 150th anniversary celebration.
President Johnson sought her out to help write his memoirs, she said, adding that she loved to listen to his tales. It was that "extraordinary experience" of spending time with him and gaining insight into the man that drove her to look at the "inner person" of American presidents.
And of those presidents, "there is no one more fascinating than Abraham Lincoln," Ms. Goodwin said. She wrote "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," on which Steven Spielberg’s 2012 film "Lincoln" was based. She is also the author of books on President Johnson, the Kennedy family and the Roosevelts.
"What traits made Abraham Lincoln a leader?" Ms. Goodwin said.
Actually, there were many traits — starting with the ability to stay motivated, despite frustrations, she said. He wanted to go to school, but life on the frontier required him to help with the family’s farm and those of their neighbors.
Literature allowed President Lincoln to "transcend" his surroundings, Ms. Goodwin said. His mother died when he was 9 years old, and the woman who was the love of his life died at 22. Before his mother died, she told him that essentially, one lives and one dies. No one remembers you.
President Lincoln was determined, then, to do something worthwhile so that his memory would live on, Ms. Goodwin said. That became his "load star," the desire to make the world a better place, she said. But there was a gap between his ambition and reality.
President Lincoln served a term in the Illinois Legislature, and also served one term the U.S. House of Representatives. He tried twice to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois, and lost both times. But he did not give up, and ran for the U.S. presidency — "and the rest is history," Ms. Goodwin said.
The lawyer from Illinois was a "dark horse" candidate for the top office, running against Edward Bates, Salmon P. Chase and William H. Seward. He was the least-known candidate, but he worked harder and with greater skill than his competitors to gain the nomination, she said.
As he competed for the Republican Party nomination, he was determined not to be disrespectful of the other candidates. And when he won the presidency, he asked the three men for their help. The United States was in peril in 1861, he wanted to fill his Cabinet with the most qualified men, who happened to be his former rivals, Ms. Goodwin said.
Mr. Bates was appointed to serve as attorney general, Mr. Chase was the secretary of the treasury and Mr. Seward was the secretary of state.
President Lincoln also had the ability to profit from his mistakes, which allowed him to turn failure into success, Ms. Goodwin said. Following the Union troops’ defeat in the first Battle of Bull Run, he sat up all night and pondered why the soldiers were routed by the Confederate troops.
Always in private, he wrote about the lessons he had learned, she said. He was determined not to repeat those mistakes. He was able to turn failure into success. His goal was to become "smarter today that I was yesterday," she said. He also shared credit for successes, and took the responsibility for failures.
President Lincoln worked hard to control his emotions, she said. If he became angry with someone, he would write a letter — but never mail it or deliver it to that person. One of those unsent letters was not discovered until the 20th century, she added.
He also understood that leaders have to relax to renew themselves, Ms. Goodwin said. President Lincoln loved the theater, and attended 100 plays during his presidency. To go to the theater for a few precious hours while the Civil War was raging outside helped him to relax.
And the pressure on the president was intense, she said. President Lincoln spent hours in the telegraph office, knowing that thousands of soldiers were dying. After a battle, he would go to the battlefield to connect with the Union troops.
He also knew that he needed to connect with the people, and that’s why he met with ordinary people at the White House every morning to listen to their comments and concerns — whether it was as simple as why they needed a job — Ms. Goodwin said. He never forgot the populace.
Another trait of leadership, and one that President Lincoln possessed, is being able to communicate with people. His second inaugural address was not a triumphant one. Instead, he said that "Both sides read the Bible and pray to the same God." And "with malice toward none," he sought to heal the nation.
But six weeks later, President Lincoln was dead, Ms. Goodwin said. He was shot in the head and although he should have died immediately, he clung to life for one more day. After the president died, Edwin M. Stanton — the secretary of war and a close friend — said, "Now he belongs to the ages."
President Lincoln could not have imagined how long his reputation would last, Ms. Goodwin said.