Petition of Abraham Lincoln and Others to Board of Commissioners of Public Works,
[April 1837]1
To the Honourable Board of Commissioners of Public Works,The Undersigned, Members of the House of Representatives, respectfully recommend to your favourable notice G. W. Carruthers Esq. as a qualified applicant for the office of Secretary to your honourable Board.2
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2In February 1837, the General Assembly had passed an act creating a statewide system of internal improvements, which included a provision creating the Board of Commissioners of Public Works.
On March 1 and 2, 1837, the General Assembly elected the first Board, which was comprised
of Murray McConnell, William Kinney, Elijah Willard, Milton K. Alexander, Joel Wright,
James W. Stephenson, and Ebenezer Peck. On April 3, 1837, the Board met for the first
time and appointed Carruthers as their secretary.
Illinois House Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 787-97, 811-15; U.S. Senate. 25th Cong., 2d sess.
(1838), Documents in Relation to Internal Improvements in Illinois, S. Doc. 259, Serial Set vol. 316.
Copy of Autograph Document Signed, 3 page(s), Abraham Lincoln Association Files, Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).