1842 LS Letter from Statesman Daniel Webster on Behalf of the President

Description: Written while Daniel Webster was Secretary of State under President John Tyler, Webster writes in regards to a prisoner that was in federal custody. Written on June 29, 1842, Webster writes to the US District Attorney Philip Richard Fendall II, requesting the application for the release of one James Dean by direction of the President. The circumstances that culminated in the arrest of Mr Dean, and why President Tyler wanted to intervene remain a mystery. This is a "LS" document, which is to say "Letter Signed". This means that the letter was signed by the author (Daniel Webster), but the body of the letter was written by someone else (likely Fendall's clerk). A fascinating letter that leaves a lot for speculation, it emanates from a time of turbulence during the languishing Tyler administration. Daniel Webster was one of the most prominent statesmen of his time, and was instrumental in many of the issues that culminated in the American Civil War. The letter remains in very good condition, showing signs of age. Flattened folds from mailing is evident, as is scattered age toning. Please see the pictures for more detail. Guaranteed 100% authentic in every respect for life. Be sure to see our other listings for more historical antiques and militaria. Be sure to follow our store as new inventory is added daily. "Department of StateWashington, 29 June 1842 Philip R. Fendall Esq U.S. District Attorney - Washington City Sir The enclosed application for the release of James Dean, is referred to you by direction of the President for a statement of facts, and for your opinion of the case. You will please return the enclosed with your report. I am, Sir Your obedient Servant Daniel Webster" Philip Richard Fendall II was an American lawyer and politician. He was born December 18, 1794, at the Lee-Fendall House, located at 614 Oronoco St., Alexandria, Virginia, to Philip Richard Fendall I and Mary Lee of "Leesylvania". Fendall matriculated to the College of New Jersey, later known as Princeton University in 1812 where he excelled at forensics and belonged to several clubs and debating societies. His academic performance was excellent and he graduated with honors in 1815. He was the "First Honor Man" (Salutorian of his class). Upon his return to Alexandria, Virginia following his graduation, he secured a position working in the law practice of his uncle, Richard Bland Lee, who was a Congressman from Northern Virginia. He was an aide to Richard, who was placed by President James Madison, as an overseer in charge of reconstructing the new Capital, due to the British burning the city during the War of 1812. In 1820 Fendall was admitted to the Alexandria Bar. The 1820s were filled with financial woes for Fendall, which were compounded by his mother's financial difficulties, and by 1821 the Fendall's were forced to mortgage the Lee-Fendall House on Oronoco Street, Alexandria, Virginia, which Fendall's father built. In 1822, Fendall was elected President of the Periclean Society of Alexandria. This organization was composed of 24 men who met and debated philosophical and political questions. It was through this, that Mr. Fendall sharpened his forensic skills. In August 1824, Fendall was appointed by President James Monroe (1758–1831), as Captain of Infantry, 2nd Brigaide of the local District of Columbia Militia. However, he did not hold this position very long, and it is doubtful that he exercised his command, for he resigned his commission on May 26, 1825. Fendall became the Editor of the National Journal in Washington, DC from 1824 to 1830, which was established by his close friend Peter Force (1790–1868), who at one time was Mayor of Washington, D.C. President Monroe appointed him judge of the Orphan's Court for Alexandria County. On July 4, 1841, President John Tyler IV, Gen. (1790–1862) appointed Fendall District Attorney for the District of Columbia In 1844 he was dismissed when the Whig Party lost to the Democrats, and President James K. Polk (1795–1849) came into office. In 1849 President Millard Fillmore (1800–1874) re-appointed him to his former post and he served in this capacity until his resignation in 1853 during the Pierce administration. Fendall also maintained his own practice as a lawyer when not handling the affairs of U.S. District Attorney. He was a pall bearer for the burial of Dolley (Paine) Madison (1768–1849), wife of President James Madision. Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the US Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore. Webster was one of the most prominent American lawyers of the 19th century, and argued over 200 cases before the US Supreme Court between 1814 and his death in 1852. During his life, he was a member of the Federalist Party, the National Republican Party, and the Whig Party. Born in New Hampshire in 1782, Webster established a successful legal practice in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, after graduating from Dartmouth College and undergoing a legal apprenticeship. He emerged as a prominent opponent of the War of 1812 and won election to the United States House of Representatives, where he served as a leader of the Federalist Party. Webster left office after two terms and relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. He became a leading attorney before the Supreme Court of the United States, winning cases such as Dartmouth College vs. Woodward, McCulloch vs. Maryland, and Gibbons vs. Ogden. Webster returned to the House in 1823 and became a key supporter of President John Quincy Adams. He won election to the United States Senate in 1827 and worked with Henry Clay to build the National Republican Party in support of Adams. After Andrew Jackson defeated Adams in the 1828 presidential election, Webster became a leading opponent of Jackson's domestic policies. He strongly objected to the theory of nullification espoused by John C. Calhoun, and his Second Reply to Hayne speech is widely regarded as one of the greatest speeches ever delivered in Congress. Webster supported Jackson's defiant response to the Nullification Crisis, but broke with the president due to disagreements over the Second Bank of the United States. Webster joined with other Jackson opponents in forming the Whig Party, and unsuccessfully ran in the 1836 presidential election. He supported Harrison in the 1840 presidential election and was appointed secretary of state after Harrison took office. Unlike the other members of Harrison's Cabinet, he continued to serve under President Tyler after Tyler broke with congressional Whigs. As secretary of state, Webster negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which settled border disputes with Britain. In 1837, Webster was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society. Webster returned to the Senate in 1845 and resumed his status as a leading congressional Whig. During the Mexican-American War, he emerged as a leader of the "Cotton Whigs," a faction of Northern Whigs that emphasized good relations with the South over anti-slavery policies. In 1850, President Fillmore appointed Webster as secretary of state, and Webster contributed to the passage of the Compromise of 1850, which settled several territorial issues and enacted a new Fugitive Slave Law. The Compromise proved unpopular in much of the North and undermined Webster's standing in his home state. Webster sought the Whig nomination in the 1852 presidential election, but a split between supporters of Fillmore and Webster led to the nomination of General Winfield Scott. Webster is widely regarded as an important and talented attorney, orator, and politician, but historians and observers have offered mixed opinions on his moral qualities and ability as a national leader. Secretary of State in the Tyler administration Harrison extensively consulted Webster and Clay regarding presidential appointments, and the two Whig leaders competed to place their supporters and allies in key positions. Harrison initially hoped that Webster would serve as secretary of the treasury in order to spearhead his economic program, but Webster instead became Secretary of State, giving him oversight of foreign affairs. Just one month after taking office, Harrison died from pneumonia, and was succeeded by John Tyler. Though Tyler and Webster strongly differed regarding ideology (Tyler was a devotee of states' rights) and personality, they initially enjoyed a strong working relationship, partly because each saw Clay as a rival for power in the Whig Party. As Tyler, a former Democrat, had long been skeptical of the need for a national bank, Webster urged Whig congressmen to back a compromise bill put forward by Secretary of the Treasury Thomas Ewing which would have re-established the national bank but restricted its branching power. Congress rejected the compromise and instead passed Clay's bill, which was subsequently vetoed by Tyler. After Tyler vetoed another Whig bill, every Cabinet member except for Webster resigned, and a caucus of Whigs voted to expel Tyler from the party in September 1841. When Webster informed Tyler that he would not resign, Tyler responded, "give me your hand on that, and now I will say to you that Henry Clay is a doomed man." Facing a hostile Congress, Tyler and Webster turned their attention to foreign policy. The administration put a new emphasis on American influence in the Pacific Ocean, reaching the first U.S. treaty with China, seeking to partition Oregon Territory with Britain, and announcing that the United States would oppose any attempt to colonize the Hawaiian Islands. The most pressing foreign policy issue involved relations with Britian, as the United States had nearly gone to war with Britain over the Caroline Affair and a border conflict between Maine and Canada. Seeking improved relations with the United States, British Prime Minister Robert Peel dispatched Lord Ashburton on a special mission to the United States. After extensive negotiations, the United States and Britain reached the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which clearly delineated Maine's northern border and other sections of the U.S.-Canada border that had been in dispute. Senator Thomas Hart Benton led Senate opposition to the treaty, arguing that it "needlessly and shamelessly" relinquished American territory, but few others joined Benton in voting against the treaty, and it won ratification. After mid-1841, congressional Whigs continually pressured Webster to resign, and by early 1843, Tyler had also begun to pressure Webster to leave office. As Tyler moved even farther away from Whig positions and began preparing a campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 1844 United States Presidential election, Webster left office in May 1843. With Webster gone, Tyler turned his attention to the Annexation of the Republic of Texas. Clay was nominated for president at the 1844 Whig National Convention, while the Democrats spurned both Tyler and former President Van Buren in favor of James K. Polk, a protege of Andrew Jackson. Webster's service in the Tyler administration had badly damaged his credibility among Whigs, but he began to rebuild old alliances within the party. Tyler's attempts to annex Texas became the key issue in the 1844 election, and Webster came out strongly against annexation. He campaigned on behalf of Clay, telling one crowd, "I know of no great national constitutional question; I know of no great interest of the country ... in which there is any difference between the distinguished leader of the Whig Party and myself." Despite Webster's campaigning, Polk defeated Clay in a close election. The election of the expansionist Polk ensured the annexation of Texas, and annexation was completed after Polk took office.

Price: 495 USD

Location: Greenville, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2023-10-29T00:54:45.000Z

Shipping Cost: 9.55 USD