John Quincy Adams Autograph Letter Signed as Secretary of State ALS as Secretary of State, signed “J. Q. Adams,” one page, 8 x 10, August 20, 1818. Handwritten letter to General George Gibson, recommending John Mitchell for a vacancy. In part: "Mr. John Mitchell, late Consul of the United States at the Island of Martinique, is desirous of obtaining any vacant office in your Department. Mr. Mitchell’s conduct has been so far as known to me that of a vigilant, industrious and faithful public officer and as such I take the liberty of recommending him. The President is well acquainted with Mr. Mitchell’s character and services and has expressed himself favorably disposed toward him." In fine condition, with archival reinforcement along the inner hinge, and some light toning to the lower fold and the left edge. General George Gibson, the letter recipient, was the first Commissary General of Subsistence, an office created six months prior to this letter. Born at the start of the Revolutionary War he was, at the time of his death (during the Civil War) the oldest officer in the U.S. Army. John Mitchell, who is seeking the vacancy, served as Commissary of Prisoners during the War of 1812 prior to being U.S. Consul at Martinique, received an appointment as a clerk in Gibson’s department.