This letter was handwritten and signed by Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois on April 29, 1849. It was written after Lincoln served out his only term in Congress and is largely about political patronage in the Whig Party in Illinois in the late 1840’s. Lincoln left Congress on March 3, 1849, made an appearance at the Supreme Court, then travelled back to his hometown of Springfield to focus full-time on his law practice, and the letter comes with a FREE frank mark on an envelope dated May 1, 1849; both letter and envelope were written by Lincoln. 
 

The letter reads “Springfield, Ill, April 29, 1849 

My dear Sir, 
 

Your letter of the 20th is received, affording me sincere pleasure by the information that you are secured in an eligible situation _ I would at once comply with your request, by writing the Secretary as you desire, were it not that I think it much less likely to do you good than me harm. Being already promised a place (by Mr. Ewing, who by the firmness with which he withholds a promise, has convinced me he will not break one when made) and backed by Col. Peyton and Judge McLean, you can not fail in getting the particular thing, or equivalent which you ask, so that my letter would not be a whit of service to you. But it might be set down as a debit to me, and lessen my chances for getting something else, of the many things I am anxious for, and have passion about _ If the sight of this letter, showing my kindness for you, will, in your opinion, be of any service, you may let Mr. Ewing see it; and I am sure you will have the generosity to pardon me for not going farther. 

My most special anxiety is that Dr. A.G. Henry may get a Land Office in Minnesota. 
 

Your friend as ever, 

A. Lincoln”.
 

According to the envelope and postmark on the envelope, the letter was sent to John Addams Esq. in Washington, D.C. on May 1, 1849. John Huy Addams (1822 - 1881) was an Illinois businessman and politician who had a reputation for integrity and helped found the Republican Party; he was the father of Jane Addams, the famous social activist and co-founder of Chicago’s Hull House and a Nobel Peace prize laureate. Addams became active in state politics and was a friend of Lincoln’s, and he should not be confused with John Quincy Adams, who was the sixth President of the United States.
 

The letter came in the envelope beneath it and the circular postmark on the envelope shows the letter was sent from Springfield just two days after Lincoln finished the letter. The envelope has the distinctive A in Lincoln’s hand, and the letter and envelope are framed and under glass. 
 

The FREE mark on the envelope indicated it was sent through the auspices of Congress and Lincoln did not have to pay for the postage. It was a franking privilege which was given to all members of Congress, it took the place of a stamp, and it also gives authenticity to the letter. (The mail was not really free - the lawmaker did not have to pay for postage, but Congress reimbursed the Postal Service for the cost of sending the mail.) 
 

Apparently Addams had sent Lincoln a letter previous to April 29 and Lincoln was responding to Addams in this letter.  
 

The notables in the letter include Thomas Ewing, Sr., a prominent Whig politician from Ohio and the foster father of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman; he was a highly respected elder statesman whose counsel President Lincoln frequently sought during the Civil War. In 1849, while Ewing served as the first U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Lincoln wrote several letters to him aggressively lobbying for government patronage jobs for his friends. 
 

(His son, Thomas Ewing Jr. was a Union Army General and the first Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court; he was a personal friend, political ally, and close confidant of President Lincoln; after Lincoln was assassinated, Ewing Jr. made the controversial and courageous choice to act as primary defense attorney for three of the alleged assassination conspirators - Dr. Samuel Mudd, Samuel Arnold, and Edmund Spangler.)  
 

Judge McClean (1785 - 1861) was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1829 to 1861, and he famously dissented in the Dred Scott case of 1856. McLean was a free-soil Republican who served in the U.S. Congress. Lincoln and McLean were both former Whigs who opposed the expansion of slavery, but they became political rivals; at the 1856 Republican National Convention, McLean finished second in the balloting for the presidential nomination, while Lincoln finished second for the vice-presidential spot; in 1860, McLean ran against Lincoln for the presidential nomination, though Lincoln ultimately secured the ticket.
 

Col. Peyton (Peyton L. Harrison) was a wealthy Illinois farmer, a longtime personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, and a key political donor to Lincoln. In 1859, Peyton’s son stabbed a young man during a heated fight; Peyton hired Lincoln to defend his son, which presented a huge political risk for Lincoln - if Lincoln lost the trial, that could have derailed his chances towards becoming the country’s 16th President; Lincoln argued self-defense, Peyton’s son was acquitted, and the case brought Lincoln more national prominence.
 

Dr. A G Henry (1804 - 1865) was one of Lincoln’s closest personal friends, a political confidant, and trusted family physician; after Lincoln called off his initial engagement to Mary Todd in 1841, Henry stepped in and guided Lincoln through an emotional breakdown, and Lincoln credited Henry with saving his life, so they had close ties, and in the letter here, Lincoln was seeking a personal favor for Dr. Henry - he was trying to help Henry get appointed to a position of secretary or receiver of the U.S. General Land Office in the Minnesota Territory, but to no avail. Henry did not get the appointment; it went to Charles K. Smith of Ohio. (See the letter from Caleb Smith to Abraham Lincoln dated June 3, 1849 in Lincoln’s archives. Lincoln had previously written to Smith on May 1, 1849, asking him to help lobby Ewing on Dr. Henry’s behalf. Smith was a former Indiana Congressman, and the correspondence was all part of the political patronage that was going on at the time.)
 

The frame measures 18 3/4 x 12 3/4 inches wide, the sight size of the letter is    8 3/8 x 7 3/8 inches wide, and the envelope measures 3 x 6 inches wide. The letter is in very good condition, with strong lettering and two vertical folds, and the envelope has a faded postmark and light rubbing above the word “FREE”. 
 

Provenance: the letter has passed down to the present consignor by family descent. It was originally owned  by Cornelius Bliss, an American merchant and art collector who lived in Boston and moved to New York, where his firm became Bliss, Fabyan & Co.; he had ties to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was affiliated with the Metropolitan Opera, and his family was considered New York Park Avenue royalty. The letter passed down to Anthony Bliss, grandson of Cornelius Bliss; Anthony became executive director of the Metropolitan, and the letter is currently held in the Bliss family trust. 
 

The trust also owns The White Heron, a painting by Frank Weston Benson, and that painting is also in the current auction for November. 

Overall Size: 18 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 1/2 in.
Sight Size: 13 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.

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