Description:

Abraham Lincoln
Washington, DC, August 1, 1862
Lincoln Boldly Signed Endorsement, Plus 31 Other Notables, Days Before Battle of Baton Rouge
AES

In response to a petition signed by thirty-one prominent individuals, including generals, editors, and members of Congress, President Abraham Lincoln agreed to the appointment of hotel clerk Lewis Leland, of the Leland family of hotel operators, to the position of Commissary of Subsistence if there was a need. According to a file note, the appointment was made on September 1.

However, according to newspaper reports, Leland left New York City on September 1 in the California steamer bound for San Francisco, to take charge of the new Occidental Hotel there. On the Friday evening prior, his friends presented him with a watch and chain and a service of silver plate as marks of their esteem. The Army canceled his appointment as commissary on November 26, 1862.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, Autograph Endorsement Signed, August 1, 1862, on letter from George D. Bayard et al. to Edwin M. Stanton, July 14, 1862, New York, NY, 2 pp., 7.5" x 23". Expected folds; scattered staining; some soiling on edges.

Complete Transcript
[Endorsement by Lincoln:]
If there be need for another Commissary of Subsistence, Let Mr Lewis Leland, named within, be appointed.
A. Lincoln
Aug. 1, 1862

[Endorsement by Stanton:]
The Adjt General will make the appointment
Edwin M Stanton
Sec of War

[Petition:]
New York July 14, 1862
Hon. E. M. Stanton,
Secretary of War,
Sir,
The undersigned respectfully recommend the appointment of Mr Lewis Leland of the Metropolitan Hotel, as Brigade Commissary of Subsistence with the rank of Captain, knowing him to be a man of integrity and in every way qualified to perform the duties of such an office.
His appointment would gratify a large circle of friends.
With great respect
Yr. Ob't Servts
[Signed by 31 individuals, including George D. Bayard, Frank P. Blair Jr., Francis B. Spinola, Frederick F. Low, Horace Greeley, Henry J. Raymond, Abram Wakeman, George Opdyke, Thomas Francis Meagher, and Daniel E. Sickles]

Lewis Leland (1834-1897) was born in Vermont to Aaron P. Leland and his wife. His grandfather, father, uncles, and several brothers were all hotelmen. He moved as a child with his family to Cleveland, Ohio. He began his career in hotels at age 13 as a clerk in his uncle's office at the Clinton Hotel in New York City. In 1852, he became a clerk in the Metropolitan Hotel, where he remained for ten years as a room clerk. In 1862, he moved to San Francisco, where he opened the Occidental Hotel. Four years later, he returned to New York, where he and his brother bought the Delavan House in Albany. He later managed the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga for his uncles. In 1869, he became the manager of the Metropolitan Hotel at Long Branch, New Jersey, and in 1870 became one of the proprietors of the Sturtevant House in New York City. He and his brother managed the Sturtevant House for sixteen years. In 1886, he moved to Chicago to manage the Leland Hotel for his brother. By 1890, he was back in Long Branch, managing the Ocean House. During the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, Leland managed the Portland and Renfost Hotels in Chicago, and in 1895, the Windsor Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida. At the end of his life, he helped manage the Windsor Hotel in New York City. He never married.

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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  • Dimensions: 7.5" x 23"
  • Medium: AES

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