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Abraham Lincoln Endorsement Signed

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Abraham Lincoln Endorsement Signed
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Exceptional Civil War-dated handwritten endorsement signed by Abraham Lincoln as President, dated 17 September 1862, five days before Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Endorsement is written on the verso of a two-page letter by Secretary of the Interior Caleb Smith, recommending the appointment of J.W. Brigsten, nephew of powerful Radical Republican Senator Bejamin Wade who chaired the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. Lincoln's endorsement reads in full, ''If another Assistant Paymaster is needed, let Mr. Brigsten be appointed. He is a relative of Senator Wade (though residing in Penn) in whom I know the Senator feels a deep interest. / A. Lincoln / Sept. 17, 1862''. Secretary Smith's letter, dated 12 September 1852, reads in part, ''To the President / Sir / J. W. Brigsten Esq, a nephew of Senator Wade has been employed during the past year as a Clerk in the Census Office but in consequence…of the completion of the work I have been compelled to discontinue him…I respectfully recommend his appointment as a Paymaster in the Volunteer Forces for which I think he is admirably qualified.'' Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio was one of a minority of Radical Republicans who often criticized Lincoln for his pragmatist approach to slavery, even saying of the President that his views on slavery ''could only come of one born of poor white trash and educated in a slave State.'' A powerful member of the Senate however, Lincoln had to mollify him as best he could, especially during this time when heavy pressure was being exerted on the President to emancipate the slaves, a politically unpopular cause which Lincoln personally supported. Lincoln's opportunity would come just days later, after the first major Union victory at Antietam. Document measures 8'' x 10'', beautifully double matted and framed to a size of 38'' x 20.5''. Framed presentation includes copies of both pages of Smith's letter, a descriptive plaque and a portrait of Lincoln. Endorsement is in very good condition, with a light brush to first initial of signature, a few small areas of ink erosion, and overall light showthrough from writing on verso.