Exceedingly rare ALS, one page, 7.75 x 9.75, May 31, 1830. Written from Washington, a letter to William Berkeley Lewis, in full (spelling and grammar retained): "Permit me to Introduc to Notice a youth Thomas Graham a Sone of a widdow Lady of Good Charector who resids in this City and is anxious to get a citation in the navy as a midshipman, will you be so good as to take some intrest and try to get him an appointment—I have no doubt but it would be a Charatable act for the youth and a great acomodate to the good Lady—I know you are good to the Lady and I must be of opinion this is one of those Cases—I remain with high esteem your obd. Humble servt." Mounted, matted, and framed with a descriptive caption to an overall size of 12.25 x 18.25. In fine condition, with light creasing and multiple intersecting folds. Provenance: Lot 197, Christie's, November 8, 2000.
As a member of the Tennessee House in early 1830, Crockett introduced a resolution to abolish the United States Military Academy at West Point in an attempt to curb nepotism and the presumed in-house dispersal of public funds. More notably, however, was his stance on President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act. When it was signed into law on May 28, 1830—just three days before this letter—Crockett was singled out as the only member of the Tennessee delegation to vote in opposition. Such a controversial position proved unpopular within his own district, and he was defeated by William Fitzgerald in the 1831 congressional election.
An influential friend and advisor to Andrew Jackson, William Berkeley Lewis (1784-1866) played a crucial role in Jackson’s two presidential campaigns. When Jackson was elected in 1828, he composed his first inaugural address at Lewis's home in Nashville alongside Lewis and Henry Lee IV. Lewis, who for a time resided in the White House, was seen as part of a group of Jackson's unofficial advisors known as the ‘Kitchen Cabinet.'
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