Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, Viscount of Clandeboye, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC. A long name and list of titles for a man who met, worked with, and liked a fellow with a short name—Lew Wallace. Lew Wallace met and impressed Lord Dufferin during their shared […]
people lew knew
14 posts
Visitors often ask if Lew Wallace knew Abraham Lincoln. The answer, of course, is yes, though Lew’s brother-in-law Henry S. Lane was likely closer to Lincoln. Lew and Lincoln had a lot in common. They both spent their boyhoods in rural parts of Indiana along the Wabash River. They both […]
Lew Wallace’s 1881 appointment as US Minister to the Ottoman Empire provided him with many opportunities to travel in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Today I’ll be focusing on the Wallaces’ travels in Europe. Traveling to Europe On their way to the Ottoman Empire, Lew and Susan arrived at Queenstown, Ireland, […]
In 1876, Lew was on a train headed for a reunion of Union soldiers. Also on the train was Robert Ingersoll, a noted agnostic. During the trip, the two men began a conversation on the divinity of Christ and other religious issues. In his efforts to sway Lew with his […]
Lew Wallace was what today would be called an alternative learner. In his much-less-polite day, many in Indianapolis referred to Lew, the governor’s son, as rascal and worse. As a youth running around the capital city, Lew and his friends found their way into the basement of the governor’s house. […]
One of the great Hoosier authors of the early 20th century was Gene Stratton-Porter. Her literary career began its ascent at the turn of the century and continued until her death in 1924 when her limousine was hit by a streetcar in Los Angeles. She had moved to Los Angeles […]
The Angel of Grief by William Wetmore Story is one of the most evocative stone carvings of the late nineteenth century. It became so famous that the term has become synonymous with many grave stones erected in Story’s style. William Wetmore Story William Wetmore Story was born in 1819 in […]
Charles B. Landis was a close friend of Lew Wallace. He also happened to be a United States Congressman elected from the 9th District near Delphi. Landis was born in Logansport and was an 1883 graduate of Wabash College. After graduating he worked on the Logansport Journal, but moved to […]
Recently I had two literary guests visiting the Study who asked about Charles Major of Shelbyville, Indiana. I didn’t recognize the name at first, though I should have—Major is remembered now for having written The Bears of Blue River, but he was a celebrated author in his day. His book […]
Throughout his life, Lew Wallace had a deep interest in the creative arts. He created original works of art and acquired works by others. One of the most recognizable works he acquired was a bronze bust of himself created by the famed American sculptor, Randolph Rogers. Randolph Rogers signed the […]