Abraham Lincoln to John M. Clayton, 25 November 18491
Springfield, Ills. Novr 25. 1849.Hon: J. M. Clayton.Secretary of StateDear SirAllow me to introduce our friend, Dr A. G. Henry of this place. I solicit for him your kindness and confidence; and this I do, not
ceremoniously merely, but in all sincerity– You may perhaps remember his name, as
that of the first person in whose behalf I made an appeal to you immediately after
the inauguration of Genl Taylor–2
Your Obt Servt[Obedient Servant]A. Lincoln2On March 8, 1849, Lincoln wrote Secretary of State John M. Clayton to recommend Anson G. Henry for appointment as
secretary of the Minnesota Territory. Henry did not receive the appointment; the job went to Charles K. Smith of Ohio, who held the post until 1851. However, on June 24, 1850, Henry received appointment
as an Indian agent in the Oregon Territory. Henry accepted this position and started for Oregon, but he never assumed the job,
returning to Springfield before reaching the territory.
Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1849 (Washington, DC: Gideon, 1849), 250; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1851 (Washington, DC: Gideon, 1851), 271; Edward D. Neill, History of the Minnesota Valley (Minneapolis: North Star, 1882), 123-24; Elbert F. Floyd, “Insights into the Personal
Friendship and Patronage of Abraham Lincoln and Anson Gordon Henry, M.D.: Letters
for Dr. Henry to His Wife, Eliza,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 98 (Winter 2005/2006), 220, 223.
Autograph Letter Signed 1 page(s), Box 3, Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).