Civil War-dated partly printed DS as president, one page, 17.75 x 12, January 22, 1862. President Lincoln appoints Robert H. Pruyn of New York to be "Minister Resident of the United States of America, to Japan." Signed crisply at the conclusion by Abraham Lincoln, and countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward. The lower left is embossed with the State Department seal, and the upper left is marked "Duplicate." In very good condition, with somewhat irregular overall toning, and splitting along some of the multiple intersecting folds.
Robert Hewson Pruyn was an American lawyer, militia general, diplomat, and politician from Albany, New York (1815-1882) who was most notable for his service as Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Adjutant General of New York, and as the United States Minister Resident to Japan. In the latter capacity he was considered highly successful in his dealings with the shogun, he signed an agreement to allow shipwrecked Japanese sailors to be repatriated, and he helped negotiate an accord following the Shimonoseki bombardment. A superb document that reveals President Lincoln's prudent attention to international affairs even in a time of domestic crisis.
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