Gave the keynote speech at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in 1863!

U.S. Congressman & Senator, Governor of Massachusetts, and U.S. Secretary of State

1853 Letter Signed when Secretary of State

(1794-1865) Famous American orator and statesman. He made many famous speeches for the Union cause, the best known being his 2 hour oration preceding President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. He also served as U.S. Congressman, Governor of Massachusetts, Minister to Great Britain, President of Harvard University, Secretary of State and U.S. Senator.

1853 Letter Signed: 8 x 13, in ink.

Department of State
Washington, January 4th, 1853

Hon._ble T.H. Crawford
Judge of the Criminal Court
Washington, D.C.

Sir:

The enclosed papers, praying the pardon of Albert H. Beach, now confined in the Washington Penitentiary, under conviction of forgery, have been referred by the President to this Department, with directions to request of you a statement of the facts of the case, and also your opinion in connection with that of the District Attorney, as to whether the prisoner is a fit subject for the exercise of the executive clemency.

The President also desires a statement from the Keeper of the Penitentiary as to the conduct of the prisoner during his confinement.

I am, respectfully,
Your Obedient Servant,
Edward Everett

Light age toning, light fold wear, and some archival tape repairs on the reverse. The body of the letter is very neatly written. The signature only is in the hand of Mr. Everett. Very fine content written while Secretary of State on the behest of President Millard Fillmore. Very desirable.

The president mentioned in this letter was Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States. Fillmore served from July 9, 1850, to March 4, 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party. He was elected as the 12th Vice President of the U.S., in 1848, and became president on July 9, 1850, upon the death of President Zachary Taylor.

The recipient of this letter was Thomas H. Crawford (1786-1863). He was a Jacksonian member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, serving 1829-1833. Born in Chambersburg, Pa., he graduated from Princeton in 1804, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1807, and commenced practice in Chambersburg. Crawford was elected as a U.S. Congressman, and served, 1829-33, and was a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1833-1834. He was appointed commissioner to investigate alleged frauds in the sale of the Creek Indian Reservation in 1836. President Martin Van Buren appointed him Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and he served in that position from 1838-1845. He was appointed by President James K. Polk as judge of the criminal court of the District of Columbia in 1845, and served until 1861, when the court was reorganized. He died in Washington, D.C., in 1863, and is interred in the Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.