Timothy Lincoln Beckwith

Timothy Lincoln Beckwith
Born (1968-10-14) October 14, 1968
Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.
Education University of Florida College of Law
Occupation Attorney (Florida State Attorney's Office)
Parent(s) Annemarie Hoffman; father is debated

Timothy Lincoln Beckwith (born October 14, 1968) is the son of Annemarie Hoffman and claimed by Hoffman to be the son of her husband Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, which would make Timothy Beckwith the great-great grandson, and the only known living descendant, of Abraham Lincoln. However, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith claimed to have had a vasectomy in the early 1960s, making it debatable whether Timothy Beckwith is a Lincoln descendant.

Early life

Timothy Lincoln Beckwith was born on October 14, 1968, in Williamsburg, Virginia, to Annemarie Hoffman Beckwith, then married to Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith. His mother grew up in Hanover, Germany, moved to the United States, and became a student at the College of William and Mary. She married Beckwith in 1967, and six months later, Beckwith received a letter indicating that his wife was pregnant. However, Robert had undergone a vasectomy six years prior to the marriage. He visited his doctor and concluded that he was 'completely sterile.'

Just before the birth, Robert urged his wife to list the father as "unknown" on the birth certificate and provided her with $7,500 and the hospital costs. However, when the child was born she listed Robert as the father and gave the child the name Timothy Lincoln Beckwith. Annemarie then returned to Europe with her son.

Some time later, Robert filed for divorce, charging his wife with adultery. In 1976, the District of Columbia Superior Court ordered Annemarie, who had by that time returned to the United States, to appear in court with her son and allow a blood sample to be taken from the child to determine paternity.[1] When Annemarie refused, the court ruled that Timothy was the product of an 'adulterous relationship,' but still determined that a future claim by Timothy to be an heir was not foreclosed because the paternity test was not completed. [2]

Several charitable institutions were designated to receive the proceeds of the Lincoln family trust in the absence of an heir: the American Red Cross, Iowa Wesleyan College, and The First Church of Christ, Scientist.[3] After Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith died in 1985, Annemarie and her then-17-year-old son agreed to a settlement in which they would give up all claims in exchange for an undisclosed amount, later reported to be more than $1 million.[4]

After the marriage, Annemarie lived in West Berlin, but by 1994 she was reportedly remarried and living somewhere in the United States.[3]

Adult life

Timothy Lincoln Beckwith currently lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he is an assistant state's attorney at the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.[5] He received his J.D. degree from the University of Florida College of Law in 1995 and was admitted to The Florida Bar.[6] Timothy has always avoided public attention and does not grant interviews.[5]

References

  1. ↑ You, Brenda (April 20, 1994). "The Real End Of The Line For Abe". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  2. ↑ Holley, Joe (March 17, 2009). "Lincoln's Twisted Family Tree". Post Mortem. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Beschloss, Michael (February 28, 1994). "Last of the Lincolns". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  4. ↑ Kleinberg, Eliot (February 12, 2018). "Is assistant state attorney last living descendant of Abraham Lincoln?". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Higgins, Will (February 6, 2013). "Indiana museum exhibit tries to debunk Lincoln myths". USA Today. Retrieved March 15, 2016. a Florida lawyer ... 'I don't do interviews,' said Timothy Lincoln Beckwith, politely, in the briefest of phone interviews from his law office in West Palm Beach, Fla. 'Let's let the past be the past.'
  6. ↑ "Timothy Lincoln Beckwith". The Florida Bar. July 27, 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-07.

Notes

  • "Lincoln's Great-Great Grandchild Involved in Paternity Suit Here", Virginia Gazette, July 25, 1969.
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