Thank you for a great article. I have been intrigued with Kate Chase for years. At 21 and as a young woman, she was a major player in US politics and DC society and considered one of if not the most eligible woman in the Country. She married Sprague who was, I believe, the richest man in the Country at the time. By the end, she had lost most everything and was somewhat shunned due to her affair with Conklin. Unfortunately she did not die with quite so much elegance as you describe as she was selling vegetables and eggs door to door to try to stay alive while the family estate was falling apart around her. The wealth that she had while married to Sprague was extreme, and her spending at that time was extreme as well. It is sad as in todays world, she would have been a political star and her death an internationally recognized event. Her father was quite accomplished but an ass. He was forever and surreptitiously trying to assume the presidency (often with Kates assistance) from Lincoln and also forever resigning his cabinet position with the expectation that Lincoln would refuse his resignation. Finally Lincoln had enough and accepted.
As always, love this site. Well-researched local history, intriguing subject matter, written with flair.
Thank you for a great article. I have been intrigued with Kate Chase for years. At 21 and as a young woman, she was a major player in US politics and DC society and considered one of if not the most eligible woman in the Country. She married Sprague who was, I believe, the richest man in the Country at the time. By the end, she had lost most everything and was somewhat shunned due to her affair with Conklin. Unfortunately she did not die with quite so much elegance as you describe as she was selling vegetables and eggs door to door to try to stay alive while the family estate was falling apart around her. The wealth that she had while married to Sprague was extreme, and her spending at that time was extreme as well. It is sad as in todays world, she would have been a political star and her death an internationally recognized event. Her father was quite accomplished but an ass. He was forever and surreptitiously trying to assume the presidency (often with Kates assistance) from Lincoln and also forever resigning his cabinet position with the expectation that Lincoln would refuse his resignation. Finally Lincoln had enough and accepted.