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Lot 145
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A. Lincoln to William H. Seward Amazing Inviting Him to Join Cabinet, Ex Forbes, Sotheby's, Christie's
A. Lincoln to William H. Seward Amazing Inviting Him to Join Cabinet, Ex Forbes, Sotheby's, Christie's
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Description:

Lincoln Abraham

A. Lincoln to William H. Seward Amazing Inviting Him to Join Cabinet, Ex Forbes, Sotheby's, Christie's

 


ABRAHAM LINCOLN, Autograph Letter Signed, to William H. Seward, December 8, 1860.  2 pp., 5.125" x 7.875". Expected folds; faint ink; some edge tears. With a copy of Malcolm Forbes' bill for this item combined with another in ouir sale along with a copy of original Sotheby's Description. Forbes paid roughtly $3700 for each letter or about 10 times what a standard Lincoln DS would sell for. This item comes with original Christie's Folio.



Complete Transcript


Copy.


Private & confidential


                        Springfield, Ills. Dec. 8, 1860


My dear Sir


    In addition to the accompanying, and more formal note, inviting you to take charge of the State Department, I deem it proper to address you this. Rumors have got into the newspapers to the effect that the Department named above would be tendered you, as a compliment, and with the expectation that you would decline it. I beg you to be assured that I have said nothing to justify these rumors. On the contrary, it has been my purpose, from the day of the nomination at Chicago, to assign you, by your leave, this place in the administration. I have delayed so long to communicate that purpose, in deference to what appeared to me to be a proper caution in in the case. Nothing has been developed to change my view in the premises; and I now offer you the ^place^ appointment in the hope that you will accept it, and with the belief that your position in the public eye, your integrity, ability, learning and great experience, all combine to render it an appointment pre-eminently fit to be made.
    One word more. In regard to the patronage, sought with so much eagerness and jealousy, I have prescribed to ^for^ myself the maxim, “Justice to all”; and I earnestly beg ^beseech^ your co-operation in keeping the maxim good.
                        Your friend and
                        obedient servant
                        A. Lincoln


Hon. William H. Seward
Washington / D.C.


Historical Background:


After his election to the Presidency, Abraham Lincoln began to assemble his Cabinet to assist him in governing a rapidly dividing nation. Unlike many other presidents, Lincoln turned to his former rivals for the Republican nomination to fill out his Cabinet, including William H. Seward of New York, Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania, Salmon P. Chase of Ohio, and Edward Bates of Missouri. Many Republicans early in 1860 expected William H. Seward to be the party’s nominee, including Seward himself. After Lincoln won the nomination and the election, he turned to his Vice-President-elect to gauge whether Seward would accept a post in the Cabinet.

 

On December 4, Hannibal Hamlin wrote to Lincoln, “My impression is he will not desire a place in your Cabinet, but he may.”

 

With this letter, Lincoln also sent, through Hamlin, a brief formal letter informing Seward, “With your permission, I shall, at the proper time, nominate you to the Senate, for confirmation, as Secretary of State, for the United States.”
On December 13, Seward responded to Lincoln’s letters and requested “a little time to consider whether I possess the qualifications and temper of a minister, and whether it is in such a capacity that my friends would prefer that I should act if I am to continue at all in the public service.” Seward continued, “I will with your leave reflect upon it a few days and then give you my definitive answer, which if I know myself will be made under the influence exclusively of the most earnest desire for the success of your administration and through it for the safety honor and welfare of the Union.” He concluded, “Whatever may be my conclusion you may rest assured of my hearty concurrence in your views in regard to the distribution of the public offices as you have communicated them.”

 

Seward wrote three letters to Lincoln on December 28, including one in which he informed the President-elect: “I have after due reflection and with much self distrust concluded; that if I should be nominated to the Senate for the office of Secretary of State, and the nomination should be confirmed, it would be my duty to accept the appointment.” A second letter suggested the appointment of Robert E. Scott of Virginia to the Cabinet, and a third letter suggested that Lincoln arrive early in Washington for his inauguration to avoid “demonstrations” by “evil minded persons.” After being convinced of the danger of an assassination plot in Baltimore, Lincoln did pass through that city in the middle of the night and arrive at Washington early in the morning of February 23, several hours before his scheduled arrival. Public reaction to this decision made Lincoln regret it. Illinois Congressman Elihu Washburne met Lincoln at Washington’s Union Station and accompanied him to the Willard Hotel, where he had breakfast with William H. Seward.

 

William H. Seward (1801-1872) was born in New York and educated as a lawyer. He opened a practice in Auburn, New York, and was elected to the New York Senate in 1830 as an Anti-Mason. In 1834, he was an unsuccessful Whig Party candidate for governor, but he won in 1838 and was re-elected in 1840. Elected to the U.S. Senate as a Whig in 1849 by the legislature, Seward won re-election in 1855 and soon joined the Republican Party. By 1860, he was considered the leading presidential candidate for the Republican Party, but opposition from other parts of the Republican coalition gave the nomination to Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. After Lincoln won the 1860 election, he asked Seward to serve as his Secretary of State. Although he tried to preserve peace and prevent the southern states from seceding, Seward devoted himself to the Union cause and helped keep the United Kingdom and France from intervening in the Civil War or recognizing the Confederacy. In April 1865, a co-conspirator to John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Lincoln nearly killed Seward in his bed, recovering from a carriage accident. After recovering, Seward resumed his post as Secretary of State to President Andrew Johnson. He negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 and supported Johnson during his impeachment trial. He left office at the end of Johnson’s term in March 1869.

Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990), American owner-publisher of Forbes magazine, and consummate collector,  amassed one of the most substantial and broad collections of such breadth and depth that it filled a half-dozen residences, and sat on three continents. Many of his manuscripts were sold in Multi-million dollar sales By Christie's in the early 2000’s. The Forbes name is considered to be the apex of provenance when attached to an item like the above. We are honored to have been chosen by the family to sell at auction the substantial balance of the collection.

 

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

 

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000