2pp., 8vo (7 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.; 190 x 121 mm) on black-bordered mourning stationery with monogrammed "L", minor soiling, folds, some losses along folds.

In full: "I think it is time, with my great necessities upon me, that Mr. H. should make a fair statement, as to whether he has acted in my case. This state of suspense is very painful to be endured, and if he considers himself a gentleman, I am sure he will no longer practice this reticence towards me, especially in consideration of all his solemn promises. Please write to him, when you see this - I must be soon apprised of the result of his efforts. I am suffering with chills and ill health and it is due me. Mr. H. should apprise me of results. Please write and oblige."

Alexander Williamson was hired by Mary Todd Lincoln to act as a tutor to her children, Willie and Tad, upon the Lincoln family's move into the White House. Although Willie proved to be a quick study, Tad, the more rambunctious of the two, was far more of a challenge. After Willie's death in 1862, Tad became even less focused on his studies, struggling even to read. He was then appointed by President Lincoln to a clerk position in the Treasury Department. According to an 1886 interview, Williamson claimed to be present at Lincoln's deathbed. In the months and years that followed, he acted as an unofficial lobbyist on Mary Lincoln's behalf to secure a widow's pension from the United States Congress. The "Mr. H." mentioned in this letter likely refers to Thomas Marshall Howe, a wealthy businessman and former congressman from Pennsylvania who backed Abraham Lincoln's 1860 Republican presidential nomination.

REFERENCES:
Not in Turner