William O. Stoddard

William Osborn Stoddard (1835–1925) was an American journalist, inventor, and author of memoirs, novels, poetry, and children's books. He served in the White House as a private secretary to Abraham Lincoln.

Biography

Stoddard was born in Homer, New York, on September 24, 1835. His parents were Prentice S. and Sarah (Osborn) Stoddard. Stoddard's father was a bookseller, and Stoddard worked in his bookshop while growing up.

Stoddard attended the University of Rochester, where he entered with the Class of 1858 and graduated in 1857. After graduation, he was employed in an "editorial position" in 1857 at the Daily Ledger (Chicago); by 1858 he had become editor and proprietor of the Central Illinois Gazette, in Champaign, Illinois.

Stoddard knew Lincoln, worked hard for his election, and received a government appointment. He first served as a clerk in the Interior Department. On July 15, 1861, he was appointed "Secretary to the President to sign land patents." After a brief period of service in the Army, Stoddard became Assistant Private Secretary to Lincoln and "one of three people doing all the White House clerical work during the early Lincoln administration." Preparation of a digest of newspaper articles was one of his original responsibilities; it was stopped because, according to Stoddard, "Mr. Lincoln never found time to spend an hour upon laborious condensations." It is believed that Stoddard personally made the first copy of the draft Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862.

After two bouts with typhoid, Stoddard left his White House post in July 1864. On September 24, 1864, he was appointed United States Marshal for Arkansas; however, in 1865 he resigned for health reasons. He moved to New York City and worked briefly on Wall Street. He entered government service again from 1871 to 1873, this time for the government of New York City. He was a clerk for the Department of Docks.