Emanuel Hertz Collection of Lincolniana

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: MSS-2021-001

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of four published books and numerous pamphlets and newspaper publications authored by Emanuel Hertz; a folder of correspondence addressed to him; and two scrapbooks featuring hundreds of newspaper clippings relating to Lincoln and Lincoln memorabilia, as well as some pertaining to Hertz's political career. It also includes a lock of hair purported to be clipped from Abraham Lincoln's head after his assassination, with accompanying provenance.

Dates

Majority of material found within 1925 - 1940

Conditions Governing Use

Some of the material in this collection remains under copyright. It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy any claims of copyright before making use of reproductions beyond the conditions of fair use, as described by the United States Copyright Law. Contact Trexler Library archives staff for additional information.

Biographical / Historical

Emanuel Hertz (1870-1940) was a prominent and prolific scholar of Abraham Lincoln and collector of Lincolniana.

Herzt emigrated with his parents from Austria to the United States at the age of 14, and he attended City College of New York, followed by Columbia University for his master's and J.D. degrees. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1895 and practiced in federal courts throughout his career. A lifelong Republican, Hertz ran unsuccessfully for Congress and served as a presidential elector for New York in 1928. He was also prominent in Jewish religious and political life in New York City.

He was said to at one time have the largest collection of Lincoln memorabila in the country, and was a frequent lecturer. His books included: Abraham Lincoln: A New Portrait. (H. Liveright, 1931), Abraham Lincoln, the Tribute of the Synagogue (American Hebrew Publishing Company, 1936), Lincoln Talks : A Biography in Anecdote (Viking Press, 1939) and The Hidden Lincoln : From the Letters and Papers of William H. Herndon (Blue Ribbon Books, 1938).