One of the unexpected aspects of Ron Chernow’s biography of Ulysses S. Grant is the role that petty jealousy played in 19th-century society.  I’m not surprised that there was jealousy, that’s always been part of human nature, but I’m a little surprised how careless folks were about showing it.

Mary Todd Lincoln was a famous harridan who often flew into jealous rages when she felt that others were disrespecting or upstaging her or her husband.  Chernow offers pages of detail about a multi-day conniption that Mary suffered when the beautiful wife of a young general sitting sidesaddle rode with Lincoln as he reviewed troops during the siege of Petersburg while Mary cooled her heels with Julia Grant in a buggy.

As it turns out, the First Lady’s ill temper may have saved General Grant’s life (while costing Lincoln his).   The Lincolns had invited the Grants to join them at the Ford Theater that infamous night.  However, having defeated Robert E. Lee, General Grant could not appear in public without crowds gathering for spontaneous applause and ovations.  Having earlier tangled with the First Lady and knowing well the effect that such acclaim for Grant would have on Mary Lincoln,  Julia Grant insisted that they head to the train station and slip out of town instead.

When Lincoln’s bodyguard left the entrance to his box untended, John Wilkes Booth slipped in took the President’s life.  Grant later agonized that if he had accompanied the President, his own bodyguard would have been there to protect them both and might have saved Lincoln’s life.

Mary Lincoln was far from alone in jealousy of the Grants.  When Ulysses and Julia returned to Galena, Illinois, they were received by a vast crowd with marching bands and cannon salutes.  Flowery arches were constructed over the streets with the names of Grant’s famous victories and Grant was showered with bouquets from 36 young girls (one for each state in the Union).  Local businessmen gifted the Grants a beautiful house on a hill with a view.

Grant was flattered and embarrassed by all of this and shed a tear thinking of all the years prior to the war when had been desperately in need of others’ generosity and found little.  Grant’s own family, who had treated him and Julia with disdain before the war, had trouble accepting his new status.  Grant’s sister-in-law Mary (married to his brother Orvil) sniffed:

“He was the same, maybe a little more self impressed, but Julia was much worse.  She still ran after him, bragged on him, told me ‘Isn’t he ever more handsome with his three-star boards?’ and like nonsense.  She togged herself in expensive clothes, but he still was dressed like he rolled out of bed, though Julia always said he was the handsomest soldier, always fussing and hovering over him, which he lapped up like a boy in a confectionary.”

Human nature hasn’t changed much since those times.