An Ambassador with Presidential Treats

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Carlson’s collection

Abraham Lincoln

was the primary topic of conversation at last week’s book party for the Weekly Standard’s Andrew Ferguson, who just published “Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe’s America.” The event, held at the Metropolitan Club, even included an Abe look-alike, who wandered around the room regaling cocktail sippers with such stories as “when I debated Douglas” and “when I abolished slavery.” If the rest of us only had such ice-breakers. …

But the partygoer with the most Lincoln street cred (besides Ferguson himself) was none other than Ambassador Richard Carlson, who owns nearly a dozen Lincoln artifacts. Carlson, the vice chairman of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (and former director of the Voice of America, former Corporation for Public Broadcasting president and, yes, daddy of MSNBC’s Tucker), told Yeas & Nays that his Lincoln collection includes:

- A lock of Lincoln’s hair;

- A signed Bible that belonged to Lincoln;

- A small piece of the towel that Lincoln’s head was ultimately wrapped in following his assassination;

- A top hat that once belonged to John Wilkes Booth;

- A piece of the bunting that was on Lincoln’s coffin when it traveled to Illinois.

Carlson admits that he loves collecting all sorts of stuff, and his Spring Valley home is busy with such things as nearly 3,000 walking sticks, including one made from the wheel of George Washington’s wagon.

This made for some interesting presents for his children. “When they were growing up, instead of giving them LEGOs, I gave them cannonballs from the Civil War,” Carlson said. “It was probably a weird upbringing now that I think of it.”

Other notable attendees at  Ferguson’s book party: Bob Novak, Christopher Buckley, R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., David & Hope Bass, Slate’s Jack Shafer, Reason magazine’s Nick Gillespie, Roll Call’s Mort Kondracke, Grove Atlantic Publisher Morgan Etrekin, CQ’s Chris Lehmann, U.S. drug czar John P. Walters, Tucker and Susie Carlson, and, from the Weekly Standard: Richard Starr, Bill Kristol, Nick Swezey, Stephen Hayes and Matt Labash.