Research topic: John Wilkes Booth

John Wilkes Booth , 1838-65, American actor, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln , b. near Bel Air, Md.; son of Junius Brutus Booth and brother of Edwin Booth . He made his debut at the age of 17 in Baltimore, toured widely, and soon became a star, winning acclaim for his Shakespearean roles. Unlike the rest of his family, Booth was an ardent Confederate sympathizer. He had joined (1859) the Virginia militia company that assisted in the capture of John Brown , but he did not enter Confederate service in the Civil War. Instead, he continued with his theatrical career in the North. For... Read more