Scarce LS as president-elect, signed "Z. Taylor," one page, lightly lined, 7.5 x 7.25, January 19, 1849. From Baton Rouge, Taylor sends a letter of thanks to the editor and publisher of the Cincinnati Gazette. In part: "I avail myself of an early occasion before leaving this place to journey north, to express to you my warm acknowledgments for your courtesy and kindness in forwarding to my address for some time past, the regular number of the 'Gazette'—I have always perused its columns with interest and pleasure." In very good to fine condition, with faint toning, light soiling, and trimmed edges. Encapsulated in a PSA/DNA authentication holder.
Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor ran as a member of the Whig Party in the 1848 presidential election and was victorious—much to the dismay of his wife, Margaret—becoming the first chief executive never to have held any prior office. Shortly after sending this letter, Taylor set out from Baton Rouge for Washington, D.C.—"leaving this place to journey north"—traveling mainly by waterway on a three-week trek that featured numerous ceremonies and dinners. Among the stops along the way was Cincinnati, where he sent a telegram to John Clayton formally offering the position of secretary of state.
