ALS, one page, 8 x 10, March 6, 1849. A letter to Edmund Burke, marked “Private.” In full: “I feel much indebted to you for your kind note; but I thought it best to prevent any meeting of my clerks. They are few in number; & I want to save them all. I think I can best accomplish this object by making as little ‘fuss’ as possible & transferring the Department over to Mr. Clayton as if there had been no change.” In fine condition, with intersecting folds (vertical fold through a single letter of signature), crease to upper right corner, and a minor brush o the end of Buchanan’s signature.
On March 8, 1849, Buchanan stepped down as secretary of state at the end of the Polk administration and turned over his responsibilities to John M. Clayton. He wrote to Burke, the Commissioner of Patents that he wanted "as little 'fuss' as possible & transferring the Department over to Mr. Clayton as if there had been no change." Burke was a New Hampshire lawyer and newspaper publisher and served as a member of Congress from 1839-1845. When he lost his election, he replaced Henry Ellsworth as commissioner on May 5, 1845. Under Burke, the workload of the Patent Office increased by 30% per year and two additional clerks were hired.
Buchanan temporarily retired to his Wheatland estate in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but remained active in politics. By 1852, he began an unsuccessful bid for a presidential nomination. Rather than accept a vice presidential nod, he became Minister to Great Britain under Franklin Pierce. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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