beveridge spent most of his final years after his 1922 defeat writing a four-volume biography of abraham lincoln, only half-finished at his death, posthumously published in 1928 as "abraham lincoln, 1809-1858" (2 vols.). it stripped away the myths and revealed a complex and imperfect politician. in 1939, the aha established the beveridge award in his memory, through a gift from the widow and from donations from members.