LS as president, one page both sides, 7.75 x 9.75, June 20, 1829. Letter to Maine judge William Pitt Preble, in full: "I take the liberty to introduce to your acquaintance & polite attention Maj. Davezac, who will hand you this. The Major during the campaign of 1814-15, before New Orleans, acted as one of my volunteer aids, & Judge advocate to the Army and it affords me pleasure to say that his chivalrous conduct on that occasion deserved & received my warmest approbation. He is the brother in law of the Hon'ble E. Livingston of Louisiana, of the U.S. Senate, and is a gentleman of brilliant talents, & classical education, a member of the bar by profession, speaks he French & Italian languages fluently, and has expressed a great desire to attend you as Sec'y of Legation to the Netherlands. You will find the Major possessed of fine talents & agreeable manners, one who in a foreign country could under you [perform] great services. Should you be pleased with the Major, I intimate a wish to have him with you, we will with pleasure gratify you in his appointment." In fine condition, with seal-related paper loss, and a split fold, to the integral address leaf.
William Pitt Preble was an American lawyer, judge, diplomat and businessman (1783-1857) who was one of the first Justices of the Maine Supreme Court and served as U.S. Minister to the Netherlands. This appointment came about because the King of the Netherlands had agreed to mediate between the United States and Great Britain to resolve the question of the border between Maine and New Brunswick, and Preble's work as a U.S. Attorney and Judge made him knowledgeable on the subject. Auguste Davezac was an American diplomat (1780-1851) who served twice as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands. In 1831, his famed brother-in-law Edward Livingston became Secretary of State and Davezac succeeded Preble, serving as Chargé d'affaires until 1839.
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