Benjamin F. James to Abraham Lincoln, 29 April 18491
Dear Lincoln–Not having recd[received] a reply to my last to you at Springfield, I concluded to follow in the footsteps of my illustrious ancestor Noah, who sent out his dove three times, before, an answer was returned, that caused his
heart to leap with joy– This is my third dove, and I trust it will return with an olive branch, informing me, you are not overwhelmed
in the tumultuous sea of politics, nor buried beneath the accumulated weight of hordes
of applications from your constituents, who at this particular time, are assuring
you that none are more fit for holding an office than themselves–2 I learn from our mutual friend Thompson, that there is some prospect for your getting to be Comr[Commissioner] of the Land office I trust you may be successful in this, as in all your laudable undertakings, it is
certainly due to this State and the active Whigs should be thought of before those who like Edwards, are shorn of their energy and strength–3 Henry, I learn wants a land-office in Minesota, he deserves a good one, for no one has been more indefatigable in the cause of old Zack, than he–4 Your recommendations in relation to our P. O. were carried into effect yesterday & David Roberts was the successful individual, he is a good Whig, and will make I think a good officer,
the Locos, voted en masse for him, the Whig vote about equally divided between him & Ball–5
Friend as ever,Benjn F JamesTremont Apl 29th 1849You will rec[receive] the proceedings of our meeting by mail<Page 2>
Have you had any applications for office from Wisconsin? I was written to by a lady there to try to induce Baker to make a removal in a P. O–[Post Office] of an individual, who had rendered himself obnoxious to her, she having been removed
to make way for a Loco– Not knowing whether your recommendations out of the state,
are received at the Dep[Department]– I have not written to Baker on the subject– The Pekinites can hardly contain themselves
for joy, in their success, upon removal of Co[County] seat, we are quite desponding, and I am fearful that the feeling is ^so^ strong, for and against Pekin, that it may affect seriously our political elections– in the county–6 King is much annoyed at the reports circulated about him in Springfield—and desires the truth of them most stoutly–7 John King and Earl the stage agent are candidates for the P. O. in Peoria, as Peters informed me yesterday–8 And furthermore your orator prays an immediate and extended answer, to this and two preceding epistles, containing a full account of your actings
and doings, in and about matters political, since the receipt, of a former answer,
and also in relation to all other matters, that to your Honor shall be deemed just
& proper, to confide to you
<Page 3>
<Page 4>
TREMONT Ill.[Illinois]APR[April] ^29^
FREE
Hon. A. Lincoln. M C.[Member Congress]SpringfieldIlls[ endorsement
]
04/29/1849
04/29/1849
1Benjamin F. James wrote and signed this letter, including the address on the fourth
sheet, which was folded to create an envelope.
2James makes allusion to the Biblical story of Noah and the ark, which is part of the
Genesis flood narrative.
James’ two letters to Abraham Lincoln prior to his letter of April 16, have not been located.
Genesis 6:1-8:22.
3Cyrus Edwards and James L. D. Morrison were both hoping to become commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office. Abraham
Lincoln would also eventually become a contender for the appointment. See the General Land Office Affair.
4In March 1849, Lincoln wrote letters to Secretary of State John M. Clayton, Secretary of the Interior Thomas Ewing, Secretary of the Navy William B. Preston and others seeking a position for Anson G. Henry in the Minnesota Territory, to no
avail. Lincoln continued to recommend him to President Zachary Taylor and members of his administration. On June 24, 1850, Henry received the appointment
of
Indian agent for the Oregon Territory.
Abraham Lincoln to John M. Clayton; Abraham Lincoln to Thomas Ewing; Abraham Lincoln to William B. Preston; 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; Harry C. Blair, Dr. Anson G. Henry: Physician, Politician, Friend of Abraham Lincoln (Harrogate, TN: Lincoln Memorial University, 1944), 8; Edward D. Neill, History of the Minnesota Valley (Minneapolis: North Star, 1882), 118, 123-24.
5Alanson Stockwell, David Roberts, John H. Ball, Joseph L. Shaw, and others were vying to become postmaster of Tremont, Illinois. Stockwell and
Roberts were the original frontrunners for the job. Lincoln recommended one of the
two to the Post Office Department, but then he began receiving letters opposing both
Stockwell and Roberts and supporting Ball as an alternative. With Tremonters at odds
over which candidate they preferred, Lincoln was forced to write the Post Office Department
and ask that if the appointment was not already made, to suspend it until the town
could unify around one candidate. On April 21, Lincoln wrote William D. Briggs offering advice on how to handle the vexing problem. Lincoln advised Briggs “to
get up a full and fair meeting” of the Whigs and, if he thought fit, Democrats of the area to decide who would become postmaster.
Lincoln himself preferred Roberts and recommended him for the position. Roberts received
the appointment in May 1849 and held the job until 1860.
Petition of Richard T. Gill and Others to Abraham Lincoln; Mary L. Perkins to Abraham Lincoln; Fitz Henry Warren to Abraham Lincoln; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1849, *489; 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), 550*; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1853 (Washington, DC: Robert Armstrong, 1853), *520; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1855 (Washington, DC: A. O. P. Nicholson, 1855), 346*; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1857 (Washington, DC: A. O. P. Nicholson, 1857), 346*; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1859 (Washington, DC: William A. Harris, 1859), 74*; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1861 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1862), 376*.
6In 1849, residents of Tazewell County voted to move the county seat from Tremont to
Pekin.
History of Tazewell County Illinois (Chicago: Chas. C. Chapman, 1879), 249-50.
7From December 1848 to February 1849, Lincoln received several letters urging him to
help Turner R. King secure a position with the General Land Office in Springfield.
On April 7, 1849, Lincoln wrote a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ewing recommending King for the job of register.
On April 13, he wrote another letter reversing himself, recommending King for the job of receiver.
On April 25, Lincoln wrote Philo H. Thompson that a “tirade” has erupted over his support for King, bemoaning
that his influence in Washington had broken down and that King’s prospects for a job
had diminished. Opponents of King’s appointment charged him with being an abolitionist,
drunkard, and gambler. Lincoln urged Thompson to find out the truth about King, and,
if the charges proved false, to take measures to sustain his endorsement of King.
In the meantime, Lincoln wrote Secretary Ewing attempting to head off any charges against King or his other recommendations
for jobs in the Department of the Interior.
Acting on Lincoln’s request, Thompson crafted a petition denying the allegations
leveled against King and secured the signatures of prominent Whigs and Democrats in
Tazewell County. He enclosed the signed petition in a letter written on May 3. Between April 30 and May 7, Samuel R. Baker, Edward Jones, John W. Casey, and David Mark wrote Lincoln attesting to King’s moral character and his fitness for public office.
Lincoln penned another letter to Ewing on May 10, again recommending King for the job of register. In late May,
King received the appointment as register and held the job until 1853.
Philo H. Thompson to Abraham Lincoln; Samuel R. Baker to Abraham Lincoln; William B. Doolittle to Abraham Lincoln; Robert W. Briggs to Abraham Lincoln; Richard T. Gill to Abraham Lincoln; Samuel R. Baker to Abraham Lincoln; Edward Jones to Abraham Lincoln; John W. Casey to Abraham Lincoln; David Mark to Abraham Lincoln; David Mark to Abraham Lincoln; Niles’ National Register (Philadelphia, PA), 23 May 1849, 1:2; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1849, 135; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1851, 140; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1853, 138.
8John King would receive the appointment in May 1849, but Washington Cockle, the incumbent,
continued to hold the position until September 1850, when King replaced him. King
remained postmaster until April 1853.
Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls, Records of the Post Office Department,
RG 28, 1845-1855, 18:148, National Archives Building, Washington, DC; Register of
all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United
States, on the Thirtieth September, 1849, *485; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1851, 544*; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1853, 514*.
Autograph Letter Signed, 4 page(s),
Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress (Washington, DC).