Lot 477

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Description:

JAMES BUCHANAN
(1791 - 1868) Fifteenth President of the United States whose hands-off attitude toward states' rights directly contributed to the start of the Civil War. Important A.L.S. "James Buchanan" as President, 3pp. 8vo., Washington, Dec. 17, 1859, a retained copy of a letter Buchanan sent to powerful politician and jurist REVERDY JOHNSON concerning the very troublesome legal battle over the ownership of an extremely profitable mercury mine in California managed by future general Henry Halleck. In part: "…I have… furnished you copies of certain letters addressed to myself concerning the New Almaden Quick Silver mine of California. After a thorough & careful search by my private secretary he has not found any of these letters among my papers except that of the 15th January 1859… kept by W. Mazell, my former acting Private Secretary referred to the Attorney General… I regret that there should have been any apparent want of courtesy… If in addition to the… unfounded claim of converting the President into an appellate jurisdiction from the decisions of heads of Departments in all cases where interested parties consider themselves aggrieved, I should undertake to direct the Attorney General in what manner he shall conduct the suits in which the interests of the United States are involved, I should have no time left to devote to the important business of my office…" Very good. The Almaden case tied up state and federal courts until after the end of the Civil War. It pitted pre-existing Mexican mining law against the interests of American big business and threw the California mining industry into complete disarray. Johnson represented the losing American interests.

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May 24, 2016 10:30 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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