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Memorandum: Appointment of Harrison G. Fitzhugh or Captain Johnson1Jump to section
Has it ever occurred to Mr. Fitzhugh, or Captain Johnson, that in addition to the difficulty of appointing one of them coming from Illinois, possibly Mrs. Lincoln (with whom the Commissioner of Public Buildings has much to do) objects?
Annotation
[1] Copy, DLC-Nicolay Papers. The original manuscript has not been located. The copy in Nicolay's handwriting, labeled by him as of an autograph manuscript, is without date. The supplied date is inferred from the fact that the post of commissioner of public buildings was a matter of considerable controversy from July, 1861, when the Senate held up Lincoln's appointment of William S. Wood, until January 27, 1862, when the appointment of Benjamin B. French was confirmed. Since Lincoln did not nominate French until December 15, 1861, it would seem that the question of the appointment was open until then. Letters from Shelby M. Cullom, December 16, and Edward L. Baker, December 23, 1861, press the claim of Harrison G. Fitzhugh of Springfield, Illinois (DLC-RTL), but ``Captain Johnson'' has not been identified.