Abraham Lincoln Signed Letter on Executive Mansion for To Secretary of The Navy re: Appointment for Naval Academy!

This is a rare war-dated letter as President dated July 29, 1864. The letter is on Executive Mansion stationary and signed with a salutation and signature “Yours truly, A. Lincoln,” one page, 5" x 8". The body of the letter is written by Lincoln's friend and scrataryJohn Hay with Lincoln adding the saluation and signature at the end. Lincoln's signature is bold and dark, as nice as an autograph as you can find.  The Lincoln letter was authenticated by Charles Hamilton in 1975, with the paperwork included with this lot.

The letter is asking Gideon Wells the Secretary of the Navy to appoint Augustus Brandegee’s nephew T. T. Wood into the naval academy.

Augustus Brandegee was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1854. Although a young member of the House, he was selected as a member of the important judiciary committee. He was also chairman of the select committee to manage the "bill for the defense of liberty," which was aimed at preventing the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law in Connecticut. Later, Brandegee chaired the committee which oversaw passage of Connecticut's version of the Maine liquor law, which prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages.

 In 1860, he was chosen as one of Connecticut's electoral college members, on the Republican ticket headed by former Governor Roger Sherman Baldwin; Abraham Lincoln carried Connecticut, and the electors cast their ballots for Lincoln for president and Hannibal Hamlin for vice president.

In 1862 he was elected to Congress from the 3rd district of Connecticut. Although the youngest member of the House, he was selected as a member of the House Committee on Naval Affairs, and later the Military Affairs Committee. Brandegee was also on the Committee on Naval Accounts, and Chairman of a Special Committee on constructing a post office and military route from New York City to Washington, D.C.

Respected as an ardent abolitionist as well as a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, he and a fellow Representative, Democrat James E. English of New Haven voted in favor of the momentous 13th Amendment in 1864 that outlawed slavery;

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