| A
tribute to Mr. Lincoln and the passion of Buffalo's Julius Francis
Julius E. Francis came to Buffalo in 1835 from Connecticut and ran a successful
drug store business for nearly 35 years, mostly at 268 Main Street.
Beginning
in 1865, with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Francis became absorbed
in preserving and promoting the martyred President's memory. He collected much
Civil War and Lincoln memorabilia, but determined that there must be a national
observance of Lincoln's birthday, February 12.
A
bachelor, he declared that this cause was "my wife and my life." At
his own expense, Francis held the first of seven annual observances of Lincoln's
birthday. Each year until his death in 1881, he rented a hall, arranged the speakers,
poets, music, essayists, and invited the public to attend free of charge and honor
Abraham Lincoln .
His
two attempts to persuade Congress to establish a national Lincoln's Birthday holiday
failed and he died in 1881, having founded the Buffalo Lincoln's Birthday Association
which continued the work.
In
his will, he made the Association heirs to his house and lot at 145 East Eagle
Street, and six $1,000 bonds. In 1901, the Association contracted with New York
sculptor, Charles H. Niehaus, to create a statue of Lincoln that would grace the
new Buffalo Historical Society in September, 1902. Their Francis legacy had grown
to $10,000 ($221,556 in 2005 dollars), of which they spent $6,000 for the 1,200
pound bronze statue. At least one copy of this statue exists, in a park in Kenosha,
Wisconsin. The chair is a copy of Lincoln's "chair of state," stored
at the Smithsonian.
The
original location of the statue was in a portion of the new Historical Society
building named, "The Lincoln Room." That room also contained the Francis
Lincoln memorabilia collection. In the early 1930's, the statue was moved outdoors
in front of the South Portico of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society,
where is remains today.
Lincoln's Birthday was never designated as a national
holiday (unlike George Washington's), but was approved as a legal holiday in a
number of states. Today, most people assume incorrectly that President's Day nationally
honors both Washington and Lincoln.
Annual observances have been made in Buffalo for Lincoln's birthday. The ceremonies
are carried on in Julius Francis' memory, also, for having the passion and the
vision to celebrate one of the greatest American Presidents. |
