GDG- Commencement of Lincoln's Administration

[Dennis Lawrence]

Saturday, November 2, 1839.
Springfield, IL.

John T. Stuart leaves to take seat in Congress. Lincoln signalizes his 
partner's departure for Washington by entering in firm's fee book, 
"Commencement of Lincoln's Administration." Stuart & Lincoln fee book.
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Lincoln's partner, John T. Stuart, had narrowly defeated popular Democrat 
Stephen A. Douglas in the 1838 congressional election. Stuart won by a 
margin of 36 votes out of a total of 36,495 cast. In Washington more than a 
year later, Stuart still feared that Douglas might contest the election. 
Young Mr. Lincoln reported to his friend on the political scene back home 
in Springfield.

Springfield, November 14, 1839
Dear Stuart:

I have been to the Secretary's office within the last hour; and find things 
precisely as you left them - no new arrivals of returns on either side. 
Douglas has not been here since you left. A report is in circulation here 
now, that he has abandoned the idea of going to Washington; though the 
report does not come in a very authentic form, so far as I can learn. 
Though, by the way speaking of authenticity, you know that if we had heard 
Douglas say that he had abandoned the contest, it would not be very 
authentic. There is no news here. Noah, I still think will be elected very 
easily. I am afraid of our race for Representative. Dr. Knapp has become a 
candidate; and I fear the few votes he will get will be taken from us. 
Also, someone has been tampering with old Esquire Wycoff, and induced him 
to send in his name to be announced as a candidate. Francis refused to 
announce him without seeing him, and now I suppose there is to be a fuss 
about it. I have been so busy that I have not seen Mrs. Stuart since you 
left, though I understand she wrote you by today's mail, which will inform 
you more about her than I could. The very moment a speaker is elected write 
me who he is. Your friend as ever

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STUART, John Todd, (1807 - 1885)

STUART, John Todd, a Representative from Illinois; born near Lexington, 
Ky., November 10, 1807; was graduated from Centre College, Danville, Ky., 
in 1826; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1828 and commenced 
practice in Springfield, Sangamon County, Ill.; subsequently became a law 
partner of Abraham Lincoln; major in the Black Hawk War in 1832; member of 
the State house of representatives 1832-1836; unsuccessful candidate for 
election in 1836 to the Twenty-fifth Congress; elected as a Whig to the 
Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1839-March 3, 1843); 
was not a candidate for renomination in 1842; member of the State senate 
1848-1852; was the unsuccessful Constitutional-Union candidate for Governor 
of Illinois in 1860; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-eighth Congress 
(March 4, 1863-March 3, 1865); resumed the practice of law; died in 
Springfield, Sangamon County, Ill., November 23, 1885; interment in Oak 
Ridge Cemetery