Auction Name: 2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 42155

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/6331*42155

Andrew Johnson Autograph Letter Signed ("Andrew Johnson"). Two pages of a bifolium, 5 x 8 inches; Washington; April 8, 1861. Docketed on the final page.

Written just days before the outbreak of the Civil War, this letter captures future president Andrew Johnson in his role as U.S. Senator from Tennessee, actively engaging in the patronage networks that underpinned federal appointments. Addressed to Secretary of the Interior Caleb B. Smith, Johnson advocates on behalf of J. Hartley Strickland, urging consideration for a government post.
In full:

"Dear Sir,

The Secretary will please permit me to introduce J. Hartley Stickland to his favorable consideration. Mr. Strickland is exceedingly anxious to obtain employment in the Department of the Interior. He is well qualified to discharge the duties of any position you may assign him. I hope that it will be in the power of the Secretary to give Mr. Strickland employment of some kind or other permanent or temporary and in so doing, he will confer a personal obligation to me.

I have the honor to be
Andrew Johnson."

The timing of the letter is especially significant. Dated April 8, 1861-just four days before the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter-Johnson was one of the few Southern senators who would remain loyal to the Union after secession. This brief but telling communication reflects both the routine mechanics of political recommendation and the tenuous national moment in which it was written.

Jesse Hartley Strickland (1827-1899), the subject of Johnson's endorsement, was the son of noted architect William Strickland, designer of the Second Bank of the United States and the Tennessee State Capitol. Trained as a draftsman, Strickland later served as a colonel in the 8th Tennessee Union Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

A concise yet evocative example of wartime-era political patronage, linking a future president, a Unionist Southerner, and a figure connected to one of America's foremost architectural families.

Condition: Very good, with flattened folds and minor discoloration on the final leaf. A few scattered brown spots. Penciled notation "Johnson. A. Ls 4.8.61" along top edge of first leaf.

References: Tennessee State Library and Archives. "Administrative/Biographical History," William Strickland Drawings. State of Tennessee, Department of State, approx. 1800-1850.

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