Description:

ANDREW JACKSON
(1767-1845) Seventh President of the United States, "Old Hickory" became a national hero in his defense of New Orleans and as president encouraged Western expansion and paid off the national debt. Important A.L.S. "A.J." as President, 2pp., 4to., Washington, Apr. 24, 1834 to his daughter-in law Sarah Jackson lambasting the Senate for censuring him over his veto of the Bank Bill and refusing to publish his protest. Jackson opens by congratulating her on the birth of a son, noting that "The letter of Andrew of the 4th gave me the pleasing intelligence of your safe delivery of a fine son, & his letter of the 7th advises me that you and the babe are doing well. I thank God for your safety, and that you are blessed with a fine boy, which I hope he will persevere with yourself & keep you both in his holy keeping, present to the sweet babe my blessing that it may be ling preserved as a blessing to us all. I feel grateful to you & Andrew for the name - how does my sweet little Rachel relish her little brother which I suppose he must view as an intruder upon her rights in your attention...". Moving on to politics, Jackson writes, "...I cannot tell when congress may adjourn - you will see from the papers sent Andrew, that I have an unpleasant time with the majority of one of the most profligate Senates that ever Did exist, my protest which I have sent Andrew has brought them to stand & the only reply they can make is, strain of abuse unworthy of their stations, and only suited to blackg[u]ards, & brothers; and which perfectly disgrace the Senate...". With integral address leaf in Jackson's hand. A few minor partial fold separations, else fine condition. In 1832, Jackson vetoed an act to re-charter the Bank of the United States, galvanizing opponent Henry Clay and those resisting him in Congress. Though Jackson defeated Clay, the Democrats lost their majority in the Senate. When Jackson began removing federal deposits from the Bank of the United States, Clay introduced a resolution in the Senate "That the President of the United States be requested to communicate to the Senate a copy of the paper which has been published, and which purports to have been read by him to the heads of the Executive Departments...related to the removal of the deposits of the public money...". The motion passed, but Jackson refused to comply. The Senate in turn resolved to censure Jackson for assuming power not conferred by the Constitution: the only time in American history a sitting President has been so cited. On April 15, 1834, five days before this letter, Jackson responded to his censure with a lengthy protest. The Senate responded by refusing to publish Jackson's protest in the Senate Journal. The censure became a cause célèbre among Congressional Democrats and Thomas Hart Benton campaigned for three years to have the censure expunged from the Senate Journal, a victory he won in 1837, just before Jackson left office for retirement. A remarkable letter illustrating Jackson's frustrations with the Senate Whigs headed by Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and John Calhoun.

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January 20, 2010 10:00 AM EST
Stamford, CT, US

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