LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865). Autograph letter signed ("A. Lincoln") to John Bennett. Springfield, Illinois, 5 August 1837.

1 p. on bifolium, 10 x 8 in. (254 x 203 mm); integral leaf addressed by Lincoln; silked; creasing from when folded.

AN EARLY POLITICAL LETTER FROM LINCOLN AS AN ILLINOIS STATE LEGISLATOR.

In full: "Dear Sir Mr. [possibly Thomas] Edwards tells me you wish to know, whether the act to which your town incorporation provision was attached, passed into a law. It did. You can organize under the general incorporation law as soon as you choose. I also tacked a provision on to a fellow bill to authorize the relocation of the road from Salem down to your town; but I am not certain whether or not the bill passed; neither do I suppose I can ascertain before the laws will be published. If it is a law, Bowling Green, Bennett Abell, and yourself are appointed to make the change. No news. No excitement except a little about the election of Monday next. I suppose, of course, our friend Dr. Henry, stands no chance in your 'diggings' Your friend and humble servant A. Lincoln."

At the time of his writing, Lincoln had only recently settled in Springfield, after having moved to the newly established state capital in April of 1837. Although he was now a resident of the booming prairie town, he had represented Sangamon County (of which Springfield was the county seat) in the Illinois General Assembly since 1834—his first election to public office.

Lincoln informs his friend and fellow Whig, John Bennett (1805-1885), of Petersburg, Illinois, about bills he had introduced to the Assembly, and notifies him that Bennett's town of Petersburg had been granted permission to incorporate by the state legislature. Lincoln notes that he added a provision to the bill to relocate a road to Petersburg, but its status is unknown. Lincoln was a fierce defender of internal improvements, continuing to publicly support them even after the Panic of 1837, when such projects were being abandoned. Bennett was the proprietor of a hotel in Petersburg—not far from New Salem, Lincoln's old home—which Lincoln had surveyed and planned in 1835-1836. Petersburg's success came at the expense of New Salem, which drew residents away and contributed to the decline of that village, which became a ghost town by 1840. On July 13, 1837, Lincoln had introduced a bill to establish a state road from Beardstown to Petersburg, which was approved, and a few days later, during the same session, he tacked on a provision to relocate part of another state road, referred to above.

At the end of his letter, Lincoln makes note of the upcoming election for probate judge that was to happen on Monday, August 7, between his friend and ally Anson G. Henry and Democrat James Adams. Over the summer of 1837, the campaign had devolved into a bitter and highly partisan affair, with frequent outbursts of violence. Lincoln himself had lent his hand to partisan attacks against Adams, most notably in the Sangamo Journal, where he penned numerous articles that summer as "Sampson's Ghost". In these articles, and in a handbill he distributed throughout town, Lincoln attacked Adams for purportedly defrauding a poor widow of her Springfield land—a case he took up against Adams in court in Wright, et al. vs Adams. Despite these attacks, Adams handily won reelection, winning in Bennett's "diggings" of Petersburg. Basler I, pp. 93-94.

Provenance:

Previously sold, Christie's, New York, 20 May 1994, lot 56

Louise Taper, Beverly Hills, California

Property from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Foundation