A brief note from Abraham Lincoln to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton on January 23, 1864: “Hon. Sec. of War, Please see Mr. Swett, and do for Mr. Green what Mr. S. will ask, if you can.”
Attorney Leonard Swett served as a trusted advisor to Abraham Lincoln throughout his political career. The pair met in 1849 while on the Eight Judicial Circuit in Illinois and became fast friends, with Swett earning a reputation as an able criminal lawyer. Swett was an invaluable confidant to Lincoln throughout his presidency, earning the ire of some who questioned his motives. In this note, Lincoln references Henry R. Green of Delevan, Illinois, who hoped to establish a business in New Orleans and needed the support of the military commanders in the city. Two days later, Lincoln wrote Green a letter of recommendation describing him as “an upright, honorable and worthy man.”
Swett continued his association with the Lincoln family following the President’s assassination and represented Robert Todd Lincoln during the hearings that ultimately led to his mother’s internment in an asylum.