Abraham Lincoln
Washington, D.C., ca. 1863
Lincoln Signed Album with Nearly 180 More Signatures of His Cabinet, Senators, & Congressmen
Album

A remarkable autograph album signed by President Lincoln, his Cabinet members, along with numerous senators and congressmen - totaling nearly 180 signatures. Approximately 86pp, measuring 5" x 7.5", [Washington, D.C.], ca. 1863. The first free page is signed "Yours truly / A. Lincoln.? With a further 178 signatures on an additional 65 pages. Moderate wear to the cover and edges. The spine has lost some material and is the binding is loose in places. Gilding to page edges. The interior is clean and tight. It appears one page may have been cleanly removed at some point. Very Good overall with bold signatures.

This incredible book contains the autographs of Secretary of State William H. Seward, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, Assistant Secretary of Treasury and the man behind the Lincoln Funeral George Harrington, Attorney General Edward Bates, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, and Secretary of the Interior Caleb B. Smith, future Secretary of Interior James Harlan, Massachusetts senator and anti-slavery advocate Charles Sumner, Copperhead leader Clement Vallandigham, and many more.

This album was compiled by New York Businessman John D. Wilson who was recommended to President Lincoln as a United States collector of taxes by numerous well-known merchants from the state of New York. He was also a correspondent of Secretary of the Treasury Samuel Chase. The Thirty-seventh Congress had 50 senators and 183 members of the House of Representatives, so this collection represents the vast majority of the members. We assume, based on a dated signature, that this book was signed in the beginning of March of 1863, during the heat of the Civil War. Lincoln certainly had a lot on his mind at that time. On March 3rd, a day before the only dated signature featured in the book, a proclamation appointing a National Fast Day was adopted, and signed by Lincoln on March 30th.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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5" x 7.5"
JSA LOA