Abraham Lincoln to Alden Hull, 14 February 18431
Springfield, Feby 14– 1843–Friend Hull:Your county and ours are almost sure to be placed in the same Congressional district–2 I would like to be it's Representative; still circumstances may happen to prevent
my even being a candidate–3 If, however, there are any whigs in Tazewell who would as soon I should represent them as any other person, I would be glad they
would not cast me aside until they see and hear further what turn things take–4
Do not suppose, Esqr[Esquire] that in addressing this letter to you, I assume that you will ^be^ for me against all other whigs; I only mean, that I know you to be my personal friend,
a good whig, and an honorable man, to whom I may, without fear, communicate a fact
which I wish I wish my particular friends (if I have any) to know–
There is nothing new here now worth telling.
Your friend as everA. Lincoln<Page 2>
[SPR]INGFIELD Il.FEB[February][15?]Alden Hull EsqrPekinTazewell co.Illinois–
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1Abraham Lincoln wrote the letter, including the address written on the back page,
which was folded to create an envelope for mailing. Alden Hull authored the docketing.
2Following the 1830 census, the Illinois General Assembly established three congressional districts. Sangamon County was in the third district, which was roughly composed of the counties in the northern
third of the state. Following the 1840 census, Congress increased Illinois’ number of congressional districts to seven. On March 1, 1843,
the General Assembly passed a law creating the new districts. The seventh district
was composed of Sangamon and Tazewell counties, in addition to nine other west-central
Illinois counties: Putnam, Marshall, Woodford, Mason, Menard, Cass, Morgan, Scott, and Logan.
“An Act to Lay out the State into Districts, for the Purpose of Electing Representatives
to the Congress of the United States,” 15 February 1831, Laws of Illinois (1831), 70-71; “An Act for the Apportionment of Representatives among the Several
States according to the Sixth Census,” 25 June 1842, Statutes at Large of the United States 5 (1856):491; “An Act to Establish Seven Congressional Districts,” 1 March 1843,
Laws of Illinois (1843), 71-72.
3On May 1, 1843, delegates to a Whig convention (including Abraham Lincoln) unanimously
chose John J. Hardin as their candidate for the seventh district. At the election on August 7, Hardin
won the seat.
Proceedings of Whig Convention at Pekin, Illinois regarding Candidates for Congress; Theodore C. Pease, ed., Illinois Election Returns, 1818-1848, vol. 18 of Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library (Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1923), 141.
4A Whig, Hull had represented the county in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1838 to 1842, where he served alongside Abraham Lincoln.
John Clayton, comp., Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970), 207, 209.
Autograph Letter Signed, 2 page(s), Private Collection, Seth Kaller, Inc.