Auction Date:2011 Jul 13 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Handwritten endorsement, in pencil, as president, at the conclusion of an ALS to Johnson from William Seward. The letter, signed “William H. Seward,” one page, both sides, on black-bordered stationery, dated October 31, 1865 reads: “It would be practically inconvenient to change the day appointed for Thanksgiving so as to conform to the wishes of the Clergy mentioned in your note, thus I would not advise the attempt. I shall reply to the Governor of Ohio in this sense.” At the bottom of the reverse, Johnson writes: “Let the day stand as it is. Andrew Johnson, Pre.” In very good condition, with intersecting folds, a couple passing through portions of signature, moderate contrast to last letter of Johnson’s signature against border, several ink blots to text, and scattered light toning and soiling.
Johnson’s predecessor, Abraham Lincoln, had declared Thursday, November 26, 1863, as the first national Thanksgiving, following the New England tradition of placing the holiday on the fourth Thursday in November. His formal proclamation, repeated the following year, was meant to soothe a nation weary of the Civil War. Under President Johnson, a move was afoot to switch the date, possibly to push it closer to the Christmas season. Three days after Seward dispatched this correspondence to the White House, Johnson proclaimed December 7, 1865 as Thanksgiving—the only instance it was celebrated anytime other than November. Permanently rescheduling the holiday was something Johnson and Seward both viewed as being “practically inconvenient,” despite “the wishes of the Clergy.” Johnson, bolstered by his desire expressed here to “Let the day stand as it is,” returned the traditional turkey feast to November in 1866. A fantastic relic regarding the 17th president’s edict.
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5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
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