Description:

Abraham Lincoln
Washington, DC, March 29, 1861
Lincoln Presidential ALS Just Days Before Start Of Civil War!
ALS

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, Autograph Letter Signed, to Hiram Barney, March 29, 1861, Washington, DC. 1 p., 4.75" x 7.25". Expected folds; expertly repaired; general toning; scattered dampstaining.

With this brief letter, new President Abraham Lincoln, in his first weeks on the job, summons Hiram Barney to the Executive Mansion to consult on New York appointments, the "New-York card" to which Lincoln refers. Four days earlier, Lincoln had nominated Barney as Collector of Customs for the District of New York, and on March 30, after the Senate consented, Lincoln signed Barney's appointment to the post. It was the greatest prize within the Treasury Department because of the number of patronage appointments it controlled.

Lincoln often left minor federal appointments in the various states to the Congressional delegation from that state, and used them strategically to maintain and enlarge political support. New York presented special challenges because of the large number of federal positions and the various Republican factions within the state.

Barney had first met Lincoln in Chicago and then entertained Lincoln when the Illinoisan traveled to New York City to deliver a speech at the Cooper Union in February 1860. Barney met with Lincoln in Springfield shortly after the Republican National Convention ended in Chicago in May. After Lincoln's election, New York Republicans sent Barney in January 1861 to consult with Lincoln regarding his Cabinet. Within the factions among Republicans in New York, Barney was an ally of Salmon P. Chase, which made him an enemy of New York political boss Thurlow Weed.

A consummate politician, Barney frequently visited Washington to confer with both Secretary of the Treasury Chase and President Lincoln. Republican infighting and both accurate and exaggerated reports of corruption undermined Lincoln's confidence in Barney's administration of the New York customhouse. After Chase resigned in June 1864, he could no longer protect Barney. Though he thought Barney personally honest, Lincoln became convinced that Barney had lost control of the operations of the customhouse. He asked for Barney's resignation in August 1864 and offered him a diplomatic post in Portugal, which Barney declined.

Complete Transcript
Washington
March 29, 1861
Hon. Hiram Barney
My dear Sir:
Please come here. I think I can make up the New-York card better after having a talk with you.
Yours truly
A. Lincoln

Hiram Barney (1811-1895) was born in New York and graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1834. After serving as chairman of the executive committee of the Young Men's Anti-Slavery Society in New York City. He began practicing law in a series of firms in New York City in 1836. He supported the Free Soil Party and then the Republican Party. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1856 and 1860. He raised $35,000 in New York for the Republican campaign in 1860 and represented New York Republicans in discussions with Abraham Lincoln about his Cabinet late in 1860. Lincoln appointed him to the coveted and lucrative position of Collector of the Port of New York, a position he held from 1861 to 1864, when he resigned.

Provenance:
Louise Taper, Beverly Hills, California
Property from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Foundation

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: 4.75" x 7.25"
  • Medium: ALS

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