LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1868). Autograph letter signed ("A. Lincoln") to Hiram Barney. Washington, D.C., 29 March 1861.
1 p. on bifolium; 7 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (184 x 120 mm); creasing from old folds, same expertly repaired; sheet toned; scattered dampstaining.
Reads in full: "My dear Sir; Please come here. I think I can make up the New York card better after having a talk with you. Yours truly A. Lincoln."
Hiram Barney (1811-1895) was a New York lawyer, abolitionist, and delegate to the Republican National Convention of 1860. Barney first met Lincoln in 1859, and according to Lincoln biographer Michael Burlingame, "...the two men enjoyed 'agreeable and profitable business relations.' Barney said that Lincoln 'is as good as a brother to me.'..." (Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Chap. 21, p. 34) After Barney raised $35,000 in New York for the Republican Party, Lincoln appointed him Collector of the Port of New York in 1861, a role highly sought after within the Treasury Department for its large number of employees and effect on the New York political machine. Barney later became an ally of Lincoln's Republican rival, and Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, leading to his dismissal from the role in 1864. Basler 4, p. 300.
Provenance:
Louise Taper, Beverly Hills, California
Property from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Foundation
This lot is located in Chicago.
