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William Henry Harrison Autograph Letter Signed to Daniel Webster. ...
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Description
William Henry Harrison Autograph Letter Signed to Daniel Webster. Two pages with integral address leaf, 7.75" x 9.75", North Bend [Ohio]; June 27, 1840. A letter from Whig presidential candidate to fellow Whig and famous orator and Daniel Webster concerning the party's outlook in the 1840 presidential outlook and persistent rumors spread by Democrats about Harrison's age and health."You will have been informed of the course which prevented receipt of your letter (& that of Genl. Mason to which it refers) of the 30th Ultimo until very recently. I met them both at Cincinnati on my return from Fort Meigs.... I would immediately have taken the course you recommended but believe it has been rendered unnecessary by my letter to Mr. Williams of Tennessee that to a committee in New York forwarded through our friend Mr. Curtis of which you have been no doubt informed by that Gentleman.
I believe that our cause in gaining in the Northwestern States....Mr. Ewing left me at Cleveland on as visit to New York, He will I think come through Washington on his return & will be able to give you a correct account of the state of public feeling in this State. It was with great reluctance that I consented to go to Fort Meigs but I have no doubt that it has produced a good effect. It has at best silenced the calumny as to my bodily infirmities. My health is indeed much better than it has been for many years. I have however been afflicted with family misfortunes. I lost a son in my absence & found my wife ill. She is considerably better but still remains in a somewhat precarious state.
If Mrs. Webster is with you be pleased to present her with my best wishes
Yours Truly,
W. H. Harrison"
After a successful military career, serving as the territorial governor of Indiana, a brief tenure in the U.S. Congress, and serving in a diplomatic post in Columbia, Harrison returned to his farm in North Bend, Ohio, and served as Clerk of Courts for Hamilton County, Ohio, the position he held when he was nominated as the Whig presidential candidate in 1839. When Harrison wrote this letter to Webster had dropped his own bid to become the Whig candidate for president. When Harrison assumed the presidency after winning the 1840 election over Democratic candidate Martin Van Buren, he appointed Webster secretary of state. Soon after the Whigs nominated war hero Harrison, Democrats were quick to point out Harrison's age, which was 67, and mocked him as an old man verging on senility. This letter shows Harrison's and, possibly, Webster's concerns about the issue of his age and stamina. However, helped by the Panic of 1837, blamed on his opponent, President Van Buren, and his popular campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," Harrison overcame the personal attacks.
Condition: The letter has the usual folds, with a tape repair on the second page of the letter resulting in light showthrough staining on first page. Tearing with a small amount of paper loss where the wax seal has been opened. Some staining from said seal. Docketed on address sheet, possibly by Webster.
Auction Info
2018 April 18 Historical Manuscripts Grand Format Auction - Dallas #6196 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
April, 2018
18th
Wednesday
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