Henry Wikoff

Wikoff was born in Philadelphia, the illegitimate son of a doctor who owned Blockley Township, Pennsylvania.

[3] In 1852, after a sensational trial in front of the High Court of Genoa, he and a conspirator, Frenchman Louis Vannaud, were sentenced to 15 months in prison for attempting to force an heiress, Miss G. C. Gamble, into marriage in order to gain access to her fortune.

[5][6] Wikoff became a close friend of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, which created some scandalous gossip.

[7][8] He was friendly with the Bonaparte imperial family in France, and was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor by Napoleon III, which gave him the title of Chevalier (Knight),[2] and was made Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic, by the King of Spain in 1871.

[1] He acted as an undercover reporter for the New York Herald, making use of his presence in government circles.