Description:

Buchanan James 1791 - 1868

James Buchanan, then Pennsylvania Senator and future U.S. President, free franked envelope.

1pp integral address leaf folded into free franked envelope signed by then Pennsylvania Senator and future 15th U.S. President James Buchanan (1791-1868) as "James Buchanan" in upper right corner. Also inscribed "Free" and addressed in Buchanan's hand to its recipient, "R. Crawford Esq., New Albany, Indiana". The envelope bears two blue stamped markings, one reading "Free" and the other a round postmark reading "Lancaster, Pa." and "Jan. 25". Docket information found elsewhere on the sheet provides the year: 1842. Crawford or his secretary recorded the sender as "From Hon James Buchanan, Washington, Jan 22d 42, Feb 29 " ". A red wax seal at bottom corresponds to a small ripped hole above. Expected wear throughout, including multiple well-creased paper folds and weathering. The sheet has been professionally repaired in several areas verso along folds and at corners. The unfolded sheet measures 10" x 8" while the folded envelope measures 5" x 3".

James Buchanan, a trained lawyer, gained his first political experience in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Buchanan transitioned to the U.S. House of Representatives in the early 1820s, and later served as a minister to Russia under 7th U.S. President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), U.S. Secretary of State under 11th U.S. President James K. Polk (1795-1849), and U.S. Ambassador to Britain under 14th U.S. President Franklin Pierce (1804-1869). When Buchanan signed and inscribed this free franked envelope in 1842, he was serving as a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. During his eleven-year-tenure as Senator, Buchanan followed a hard Democratic line, opposing a federal banking system, supporting western expansion, and lobbying for states' rights. Fifteen years later, Buchanan would be elected President.

The historical records do not reveal any information about Buchanan's recipient, R. Crawford, Esq. New Albany is located in the southeastern corner of Indiana, which had been a state since 1816.

Free franking, or the ability to send mail free from postage, was instituted in the late eighteenth century. The privilege has been alternately granted, rescinded, expanded, and restricted over the last two hundred years. Traditionally, Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Congressmen like Pennsylvania Senator James Buchanan, as well as former office holders and occasionally their spouses and relatives, held free franking privileges.

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