13 - Andrew Jackson Autograph Letter Signed as President - Keeping His Administration Running Following the Petticoat Affair (1831)

Andrew Jackson Autograph Letter Signed as President - Keeping His Administration Running Following the Petticoat Affair (1831) ALS as president, one page, 7 x 7, May 4, 1831. Addressed from Washington, a boldly penned handwritten letter to an unidentified gentleman, in full: “You will take charge of the 2d Auditor's Office and discharge the duties thereof until the return of the 2d Auditor, who will be absent, from the seat government, for a short time.” Archivally matted and framed with a carte-de-visite portrait of Andrew Jackson to an overall size of 14.25 x 11.25. In fine condition. Written amid the breakup of Jackson’s first presidential cabinet, the letter dates to the political upheaval surrounding the Eaton, or Petticoat, affair. Secretary of State Martin Van Buren and Secretary of War John Eaton tendered their resignations in April 1831, providing Jackson an opportunity to reorganize an administration increasingly divided between his supporters and allies of Vice President John C. Calhoun. The “2d Auditor” referenced here was William B. Lewis, a longtime Jackson friend and political adviser whom the president had appointed Second Auditor of the Treasury in 1830. Lewis also belonged to Jackson’s informal ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ and was offered quarters in the White House, reflecting his close relationship with the president.