Did Abraham Lincoln have a bed fellow that he stayed with in New York
Executive summary
Scholars disagree about Abraham Lincoln’s intimate relationships with men; some historians note he shared a bed with Joshua Speed in Springfield from 1837–1841 and contemporaneous diary gossip mentions Lincoln sleeping in the same bed with a male aide in 1862, but mainstream Lincoln scholarship does not present conclusive proof of sexual relations in New York specifically [1] [2]. Modern treatments range from careful contextual study of 19th‑century customs to documentary claims that have generated public debate [1] [2].
1. What the primary evidence actually says
The clearest contemporary evidence cited by scholars is that Lincoln and Joshua Fry Speed shared a bedroom in Springfield, Illinois, for several years starting in 1837; historians such as C. A. Tripp have analyzed that friendship as part of broader work on Lincoln’s intimate life [1]. For the New York question, a late‑19th/20th‑century source quoted in recent accounts records a November 1862 diary remark by Elizabeth Woodbury Fox about a “Bucktail soldier” who “when Mrs L is not home, sleeps with him,” referring to Derickson and the president — the diary entry is cited in reporting on a 2024 documentary that asserts Lincoln had sexual relations with men [2].
2. How historians interpret “sharing a bed”
Sharing a bed in 19th‑century America did not automatically imply a sexual relationship; historians emphasize different social norms and practicalities of the period. C. A. Tripp and others concluded that some friendships may have been sexual, while many mainstream historians treat the evidence as ambiguous and argue that close male friendship could include sharing sleeping quarters without modern sexual connotations [1]. The sources show interpretive disagreement rather than a settled consensus [1].
3. The specific New York claim: what sources mention it (and what they don’t)
Available sources in the provided set do not document a verified episode in which Lincoln “stayed with” or had a bed‑fellow in New York in the sense of a known sexual liaison beyond the general reporting of rumors and later interpretations (not found in current reporting). The diary snippet about Derickson sleeping with Lincoln was noted in media coverage of a documentary but is dated to 1862 and is reported as gossip in the diary rather than an independently corroborated fact [2].
4. Recent public debate and a documentary claim
A 2024 documentary and subsequent reporting (summarized in LGBTQ Nation’s article) revived claims that Lincoln had sexual relationships with men, citing diary entries and later scholarship; the article frames those diary remarks as contemporaneous gossip and reports that the documentary’s assertions are controversial [2]. The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project and historians such as Tripp have also promoted interpretive readings that conclude Lincoln may have had same‑sex relationships, which fuels present‑day debate [1].
5. What mainstream Lincoln scholarship emphasizes
Institutions and annual Lincoln‑scholarship venues continue to focus on archival research and contextual interpretation; recent symposia and institutes list works and panels that treat Lincoln’s political life and social context rather than definitive new evidence about sexual behavior in New York specifically [3]. Major scholarly bodies tend to present multiple hypotheses and caution that conclusive proof remains elusive [3].
6. How to weigh gossip, diaries and retrospective analysis
Diary gossip recorded contemporaneously can reflect what people said or believed at the time but does not equal corroborated fact; some modern authors interpret these notes as meaningful evidence, while others treat them as unreliable rumor. The provided sources make this debate explicit: Tripp’s interpretive work concludes intimacy with men; recent media coverage treats such diary entries as provocative but not definitive [1] [2].
7. Bottom line for your question
If your question asks whether Abraham Lincoln had a documented “bed fellow” in New York—meaning a confirmed sexual partner there—available sources here do not establish that event; they document shared sleeping arrangements in Springfield and contemporaneous gossip recorded elsewhere, and they record a lively scholarly dispute about interpretation [1] [2]. Readers should treat documentary claims with caution and note that historians remain divided about how to interpret friendship, bed‑sharing, and rumor in Lincoln’s life [1] [2].
Limitations: this analysis uses only the provided sources and does not include wider archival material or newer scholarship beyond them; sources cited above present competing interpretations rather than a single settled narrative [1] [2].