BUCHANAN, James. Autograph letter signed ("James Buchanan") TO STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS (1813-1861), "Sunday afternoon" [ca.1845?]. 1 page, 8vo, chip from wax seal in top left corner (missing piece still attached to seal) . SENATORIAL CONVIVIALITY: CIGARS, WINE AND POLITICS. The bachelor Buchanan asks the company of "Judge Douglas" in this light-hearted note: "Having got tired of my own company, I should be very glad if you would come & smoke a cigar with me. I think that I could also furnish you with a glass of good wine." Was he just lonely, or did the need for company cover some political reason for wanting to talk with the Little Giant? Given its informality, the letter most likely dates from before Buchanan's election to the presidency in 1856, and possibly to the mid 1840s, when both were Senators. By the time Buchanan became President relations had cooled between the two Democratic leaders. Douglas was a vanquished rival for the 1856 nomination, and he opposed Buchanan during the bruising battles in Congress over the Kansas Territory between 1857 and 1859. Douglas, who tried to remain an honest broker between Northern and Southern interests, thought Buchanan tilted too far in favoring Southern interests in the Kansas debate, as well as in the other crises that peppered Buchanan's tenure.
BUCHANAN, James. Autograph letter signed ("James Buchanan") TO STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS (1813-1861), "Sunday afternoon" [ca.1845?]. 1 page, 8vo, chip from wax seal in top left corner (missing piece still attached to seal) . SENATORIAL CONVIVIALITY: CIGARS, WINE AND POLITICS. The bachelor Buchanan asks the company of "Judge Douglas" in this light-hearted note: "Having got tired of my own company, I should be very glad if you would come & smoke a cigar with me. I think that I could also furnish you with a glass of good wine." Was he just lonely, or did the need for company cover some political reason for wanting to talk with the Little Giant? Given its informality, the letter most likely dates from before Buchanan's election to the presidency in 1856, and possibly to the mid 1840s, when both were Senators. By the time Buchanan became President relations had cooled between the two Democratic leaders. Douglas was a vanquished rival for the 1856 nomination, and he opposed Buchanan during the bruising battles in Congress over the Kansas Territory between 1857 and 1859. Douglas, who tried to remain an honest broker between Northern and Southern interests, thought Buchanan tilted too far in favoring Southern interests in the Kansas debate, as well as in the other crises that peppered Buchanan's tenure.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
