His marriage had produced four sons, two of whom preceded him in death, with severe emotional impact upon him and Mary. Lincoln is remembered as the United States' martyr hero, and he is consistently ranked as one of the greatest U.S. presidents. Lincoln's first romantic interest was Ann Rutledge, whom he met when he first moved to New Salem; by 1835, they were in a relationship but not formally engaged. She died on August 25, 1835, most likely of typhoid fever. The oldest, Robert Todd Lincoln, was born in 1843 and was Lincoln's only child to live to maturity. Lincoln said, 'I will suffer death before I consent ... to any concession or compromise which looks like buying the privilege to take possession of this government to which we have a constitutional right.
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