Abigail Whitman | |
---|---|
Portrayed by | Brynn Horrocks |
First appearance | Babylon |
Final appearance | Shut the Door. Have a Seat |
Details | |
Gender | Female |
Occupation | Farm Wife |
Residence | Pennsylvania |
Relations | |
Husband | Archibald Whitman Mack Johnson |
Child(ren) | Adam Whitman Don Draper (adopted) |
Biography[]
Abigail Whitman was the wife of Archibald Whitman and mother to Adam Whitman as well as adoptive mother to Don Draper.
When Archie was kicked in the face by a horse and died, she "took up" with a new man, Mack Johnson. Don's childhood was unhappy, and his stepmother never allowed him to forget that he was a "whore child". ("Long Weekend") ("The Hobo Code")
Abigail Whitman suffered at least one stillbirth prior to the birth of Don Draper, and was married for many years before giving birth to Adam Whitman, suggesting fertility problems. She was presented with the newborn Don Draper to raise as her own. She is a God-fearing, religious woman who can sometimes be given to acts of kindness, such as helping out a hobo, washing his clothes, feeding him, and giving him some money ("The Hobo Code"). The hobo was left with the impression that she was a good person, in contrast to her violent, alcoholic husband Archie. However Don Draper knew better, as Abigail treated him abusively his whole life, resenting him for being the child of a whore her husband visited while married to her. While living in a whorehouse with Don Draper, she beat Don when he was sexually assaulted by one of the prostitutes.
She seems to have been a devoted mother to her biological son, Adam.
She died of stomach cancer sometime between the early 1950s when Don last sees her during the Korean War, and 1960, when Don met Adam.