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Mary Lincoln Writes Abram Wakeman Secret Letter Weeks Before Lee's Surrender
Mary Lincoln Writes Abram Wakeman Secret Letter Weeks Before Lee's Surrender
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Description:

Mary Lincoln
Washington, DC, March 12, 1865
Mary Lincoln Writes Abram Wakeman Secret Letter Weeks Before Lee's Surrender
ALS

Just over a week after Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration, Mary Lincoln writes confidentially to her New York friend Abram Wakeman, thanking him for a "recent kindness," perhaps related to her spending and debts in New York City. She also asks him to say a kind word to Mr. and Mrs. James Gordon Bennett, the editor of The New York Herald newspaper. She feared that Henry Wikoff (1813-1884), a Philadelphia-born attorney and professional intriguer who had become a close friend early in the war, might harm her relationship with the Bennetts. Wikoff remained an informant in Washington for Bennett's New York Herald for several years.

MARY LINCOLN, Autograph Letter Initialed to Abram Wakeman, March 12, 1865, [Washington, DC]. 2 pp., 5" x 8". With stamped envelope addressed by Mary Lincoln to "Hon Abram Wakeman / Surveyor of the Port / Custom House, New York" and marked "Private." Expected folds; very good.

Complete Transcript
Private
Hon Mr Wakeman
My Dear Sir:
Nothing but the unusual excitement, we have just passed through & from which, we have not entirely recovered, would excuse me, in not having thanked you, for your recent kindness towards me. I write hurriedly to day & will not attempt to discuss, so unnecessary a subject & one so very far beneath our thoughts & which certainly does not occupy mine, for a moment, yet when you chance to visit W[ashington]. it will be quite amusing, to hear you recount, some of the ludicrous scenes you may have passed through, and which I am sure, gave you some trouble. Some other time, will answer, to talk over all this. Please say nothing about having received a line from me. If possible, I am sure you will always say a kind word to Mr & Mrs B[ennett], whose favor, it would be most impolitic to ignore. W[ikoff] - may try to sour them - all this is between ourselves.
Very truly your friend
M. L.

Historical Background
Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles of Connecticut was often critical of President Abraham Lincoln's actions when it came to patronage in New York City. He was particularly troubled in September 1864, when Lincoln removed the Surveyor of the Port of New York and replaced him with Abram Wakeman, who had been postmaster of New York City. Welles labeled the appointment a "Weed operation," a reference to New York Republican leader Thurlow Weed.

Abram Wakeman was a protégé of Thurlow Weed and New York Times editor Henry J. Raymond. For his part, Wakeman actively campaigned for President Lincoln's reelection in 1864 and may have played a role in keeping New York Herald editor James Gordon Bennett from endorsing George B. McClellan in the 1864 campaign. He also frequently escorted Mary Lincoln when she came to New York to shop, and she visited the Bennett mansion as a guest of Mrs. Henrietta Bennett. By early 1865, she wrote regularly to Wakeman, and their relationship continued to grow.

On February 20, President Lincoln wrote to James Gordon Bennett that he planned "at some convenient, and not distant day" to nominate Bennett for the position of minister to France. On March 6, Bennett replied, "I trust that I estimate, at its full value, the high consideration which the President of the United States entertains and expresses for me by proposing so distinguished an honor. Accept my sincere thanks for that honor. I am sorry however to say that at my age I am afraid of assuming the labors and responsibilities of such an important position."

In her next letter to Wakeman, Mary Lincoln expressed concern that some newspapers were characterizing the offer to Bennett as of Lincoln's "last jokes" or "a jest" and asked Wakeman to reassure Bennett that Lincoln's offer was sincere and that she regrets that he did not accept it. She also asks Wakeman to make sure that "even W[ikoff]" understood that the offer was genuine.

Some later argued that Wikoff and New York City businessman Issac Sherman had arranged for Lincoln to offer the post to Bennett as an honor and that his refusal was prearranged. By the time these rumors surfaced, Lincoln had been assassinated, and his cabinet knew nothing of his reasons for making the offer.

Mary Lincoln (1818-1882) was born into the prominent Todd family in Lexington, Kentucky. Educated at female academies and boarding schools, she learned to speak French fluently and studied literature, dance, drama, and music. She was very well-educated for her time, place, and gender. In November 1842, she married Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, and they had four sons. She supported her husband's political ambitions, becoming First Lady in 1861. Because she was from a border state, with several of her relatives supporting the Confederacy, Mary Lincoln was the object of suspicion in the press. Although she was responsible for hosting many social functions, her extensive spending to renovate the White House also drew complaints from a nation at war and from her husband. However, she also visited wounded soldiers in Washington hospitals, taking them fruit and flowers and writing letters home for them. Prone to severe headaches and depression, she suffered the loss of three of her four sons and was present when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre. After leaving the White House, she lived in Chicago, where her son briefly had her committed to a sanitarium in 1875. After being declared competent to manage her own affairs in 1876, she spent the next four years traveling in Europe and living in Pau, France. She later returned to Springfield, where she died in her sister's home.

Abram Wakeman (1824-1889) was born in Connecticut, completed college preparatory studies, and taught school while studying law. He was admitted to the bar in 1847 and practiced in New York City, where he became involved in several banks, railroads, and insurance companies. He served in the New York State Assembly as a Whig (1850-1852) and in Congress as a Republican (1855-1857). He helped found the Republican Party in 1855. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him as Postmaster of New York City (March 1862–September 1864) and Surveyor of the Port of New York (September 1864–March 1869). He also developed a friendship with Mary Lincoln and exchanged frequent letters with her. When her shopping incurred a large debt with New York City retailers, Wakeman aided her in refinancing her obligations so President Lincoln would not learn of it. Later in his career, he was one of the principal developers of Coney Island as a resort and amusement park area and made a substantial profit from selling his interest in the late 1870s.

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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