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Lincolns letter Appointee Who Would not serve [Abraham Lincoln] Edwin D. Morgan: Letter of the Linco

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 300.00 USD
Lincolns letter Appointee Who Would not serve [Abraham Lincoln] Edwin D. Morgan: Letter of the Linco
<B>[Abraham Lincoln] Edwin D. Morgan: Letter of the Lincoln Cabinet Appointee Who Wouldn't Serve Autograph Letter Signed</B></I> as Governor of New York, 1 page, 5" x 8", Albany, February 27, 1861. To New York Comptroller Robert Denniston. In very fine condition, albeit with a couple of pencil dealer's notations, and minor mounting traces on verso of the docketed integral leaf. <BR><BR>Great collectors are nothing if not comprehensive -- and so the person who collects this letter will be a great Lincoln collector indeed, for here is the autograph of a man, though appointed by the President to be Secretary of the Treasury, refused to serve. Edward Morgan, then a Senator from New York, first heard the appointment as it was being read on the Senate floor on February 13, 1865. "<I>I was appointed to the position once during Mr. Lincoln's administration," he recalled, "without being consulted at all. It was to succeed Senator [William P.] Fessenden, and no one was more surprised than myself to hear the appointment read when it was sent to the Senate for approval. I asked them to lay the matter over until I should return, and then drove to the White House and represented to Mr. Lincoln, that for many reasons, I could not accept the position, and the appointment was withdrawn</B></I>." This autograph letter is not about the infamous incident, but does mention Lincoln twice, and "The Treasurer", once. "<I>I enclose a note to the President of the United States on behalf of the application of our mutual friend, The Treasurer, which you will oblige me by handing to Mr. Lincoln as you may have opportunity upon your arrival in Washington</B></I>." From the Henry E. Luhrs Collection. Accompanied by LOA from PSA/DNA.